Agriculture: Sheep

Baroness Quin: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What is the estimated cost of introducing individual electronic identification of sheep in (a) Northumberland, (b) England, and (c) the United Kingdom.

Lord Rooker: There is no specific assessment for Northumberland. A draft partial regulatory impact assessment for England on sheep and goat electronic identification was produced in December 2006 and further updated in November 2007. Details are available on the Defra website.

Agriculture: Sheep

Baroness Quin: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What discussions have been held recently within the European Union about individual electronic identification of sheep.

Lord Rooker: The European Parliament discussed electronic identification of sheep on 19 June as part of its wider discussions on the sheep industry. Discussions were also held on 30 June in the Commissions Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH).
	The discussions held on 30 June were those that secured changes to the annexes of EC regulation 21/2004 which considerably reduce the movement-recording burdens for industry. The regulation now provides for a phased approach to the introduction of individual recording as follows:
	no animals to have to be individually recorded on a movement document until 1 January 2011;no animals born before 31 December 2009 have to be individually recorded on a movement document until 31 December 2011; andno animal born before 31 December 2009 and moving to slaughter (directly or via a market) have to be individually recorded on a movement document at all.

Agriculture: Sheep

Baroness Quin: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What discussions have been held recently between Ministers and National Farmers Union representatives about European Union proposals on individual electronic identification of sheep.

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) and I met representatives of the sheep industry, including the NFU, on 30 June to discuss electronic identification of sheep.

Agriculture: Vaccines

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the reply by Lord Rooker on 7 July (Official Report, col. 573), why the earliest projected date for widespread use of a BCG cattle vaccine is mid to late 2015, in the light of the fact that human BCG has been available for 50 years.

Lord Rooker: Vaccines based on BCG have variable efficacy and, because they will potentially make cattle react to the current tuberculin test as if they were infected with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), are illegal under EU legislation. Without a test to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (a so-called DIVA test), cattle from vaccinated herds would be indistinguishable from infected animals and would lose their officially tuberculosis free (OTF) status. When work started on vaccines in 1998, following recommendations made in the Krebs report (1997), it was expected that a non-BCG vaccine would be a candidate and research was conducted in parallel with human vaccine work. However, suitable non-BCG candidates have not been forthcoming for cattle or humans and, from 2005, work effort was concentrated on the identification of suitable antigens/adjuvants to improve the efficacy of BCG, which largely depended on the sequencing of the M. bovis and BCG genomes in 2001, and the development of a DIVA test.
	Research by its nature takes time. This is compounded by the fact that bTB is a slow-moving disease and animal experiments take a long time to complete. To date no suitable antigen/adjuvant candidates have been identified. Therefore, we are progressing the work necessary for a market authorisation (required under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations) for the use of BCG in cattle and to achieve EU accreditation of the associated DIVA test. Experimental efficacy and safety studies for BCG have already been completed. Additional funding over the next three years will enable us to continue developing DIVA tests, evaluate the duration of sensitisation of cattle to the tuberculin skin test and conduct BCG field safety trials.
	In addition to the science, wider acceptability, practicality, trade and legal issues impact the timing of the delivery of a licensed product. We have initiated discussions and will be working closely with the Commission and other member states to minimise the time required to make the necessary changes to allow the use of cattle vaccines for TB and to get the DIVA test integrated into the trade legislation. At this stage it is not possible to say how long these negotiations will take and success cannot be guaranteed.

Agriculture: Vaccines

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the reply by Lord Rooker on 7 July (Official Report, col. 573), why the earliest projected date for widespread use of a badger vaccine is 2014, in the light of the time taken to develop the vaccine against bluetongue.

Lord Rooker: The earliest a fully licensed injectable vaccine could be available is projected as 2010. However, due to the costs associated with trapping badgers for vaccination, it is not likely to be used on a widespread basis.
	The earliest projected date for the widespread use of a BCG oral badger vaccine is 2014. The oral vaccination route is not supported by a proven technology for delivery of BCG, and the difficulties of ensuring that the live vaccine can survive passing through the stomach and be adequately absorbed by the intestines make developing it a much more complex task than the injectable BCG vaccine. Scientific research by its nature takes time. While the programme of research has been designed to minimise the time required to deliver licensed vaccines, a significant proportion of the work can be addressed only sequentially. For example, the majority of safety and efficacy studies required for licensing an oral badger vaccine must use the final formulation and therefore cannot start until this is available. Additional funding will not result in a vaccine being available sooner but will allow further effort to be focused on addressing areas of scientific and policy uncertainty in an attempt to prevent the timeline from slipping. As with all research, there can be no guarantee of success.
	Development of a vaccine against bovine TB, the causative agent of which is the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, in badgers is fundamentally different and cannot be compared to the development of the vaccine against the bluetongue virus.

Agriculture: Vaccines

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How long it will take to change the European Union rules against vaccinating cattle for tuberculosis once the United Kingdom makes an application following the successful development of a vaccine.

Lord Rooker: We have initiated discussions and will be working closely with the Commission and other member states to minimise the time required to make the necessary legislative changes to allow the use of cattle vaccines for TB. At this stage it is not possible to say how long negotiations will take.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Lord Thomas of Gresford: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they will publish in the Official Report the letter about their proposals on the future of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal sent by Sir Robert Carnwath of the tribunals judiciary to Lord Morris of Manchester on 20 June and the response sent to Sir Robert by the Royal British Legion on 1 July.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We will write to Lord Morris of Manchester and the Royal British Legion and ask whether they are content for us to publish the letters sent to them by the tribunals senior president, Sir Robert Carnwath. Once they have responded, I will advise the House.

Bio-energy Infrastructure Scheme

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will exclude from its awards of grants from the bio-energy infrastructure scheme any applications which use (a) food crops, or (b) alternative crops grown on land suitable for food crops.

Lord Rooker: With the exception of straw, biomass derived from food crops is not eligible for support under the scheme. Eligible energy crops are not required to be grown on land that is unsuitable for food crops. Of the 29 projects supported under round 1 of the scheme, 15 use only biomass from woodlands, urban trees and sawmills, seven use only purpose-grown energy crops and the remainder use a mixture.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Statement by Lord Rooker on 7 July (Official Report, cols. 568-70), whether there has been any scientific investigation of the increase in the incidence of bovine tuberculosis following the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease; and, if so, what was the outcome.

Lord Rooker: Defra project SE3026, Bovine TB Transmission in Restocked Herds: Risk Factors and Dynamics, took advantage of the depopulation caused by the 2001 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak and the need to restock herds following the epidemic to consider and identify risk factors associated with the introduction and transmission of bovine tuberculosis. This work was completed in 2006. While restocked herds appeared to be at risk immediately after FMD, both restocked and non-stocked herds had similar bovine tuberculosis incidence during the whole study. The significant associations between herd breakdowns and farm management practices were: purchasing steers, purchasing cattle from markets (versus private sales), increasing herd size, storage of manure in enclosed places compared with storing in the open or spreading immediately, and not feeding supplementary minerals and vitamins. The final report is available on the Defra website.
	Additionally, an in-depth outbreak investigation by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency into a series of 31 cattle herds that suffered confirmed bovine tuberculosis incidents in the north-east of England between January 2002 and June 2004 showed that, in all but one of those breakdowns, the most likely source of infection was one or more purchased animals. Nine of the herds in that case study had been restocked under the FMD outbreak of 2001.
	The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) used the nine-month suspension of tuberculosis cattle controls during the 2001 nationwide epidemic of FMD as an opportunity to further evaluate the link between M. bovis infections in cattle and badgers. It found a significant association between the suspension of cattle tuberculosis controls and an increase in the prevalence of M. bovis infection in adult badgers. This rise was observed consistently across all seven proactively culled trial areas. A similar pattern was observed in road-killed badgers, which suggests that the effect was not driven by culling itself. While these observational data do not demonstrate causality, they provide evidence that cattle-to-badger transmission may be an important factor in bovine tuberculosis dynamics. Results are presented in the ISGs final report, available on the Defra website, and have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How many farmers were overpaid or underpaid by the single farm payment scheme in each of the last three years in (a) England, (b) the east of England, and (c) Essex.

Lord Rooker: The number of farmers that were overpaid under the single payment scheme (SPS) in England was 11,454 in 2005 and 7,493 in 2006. Figures are not yet available for the 2007 scheme year.
	Detailed analysis of all payments made under SPS is not yet available and so it is not possible to give figures for the east of England and Essex. Once the remaining scheme payments have been completed, a decision will be taken on the level of detail that will be published.
	The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not keep separate data on cases where a top-up payment was required after an SPS claim had been corrected, nor can such data now be readily identified. The RPA retains data on changes in claim values but there is no automatic relationship between these and underpayment data because manual or partial payment may have been made to the claimant.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Agencies

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Statements by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs, Mr Jonathan Shaw, on 16 June (Official Report, Commons, cols. 38-9WS), why the two organisations customer satisfaction scores are measured on different scales; and whether all agencies of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs use different scales.

Lord Rooker: The measurement of customer satisfaction varies according to the nature of the organisation, its objectives and its customer base. A common scale, with the same criteria, might restrict this flexibility.
	The mechanism used by each agency is agreed individually with Defra and improving customer satisfaction is a performance management priority for all the departments agencies.

Fishing: Dee Estuary

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Why the Dee Estuary Cockle Fishery Order (SI 2008/1472) contains no reference to offences under the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 and the scale of penalties to be imposed, but the Explanatory Note to the order does; and
	Whether the omission of any reference to offences and penalties in the Dee Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2008 (SI 2008/1472) means that such penalties cannot be levied.

Lord Rooker: Section 3(3) of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 states the offences and penalties that apply to the Dee Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2008 (SI 2008/1472) (and other regulating orders). There is therefore no need to restate them in the order itself. Reference is made to Section 3(3) in the Explanatory Note to the Dee estuary order to guide the reader to the relevant offences and penalties provisions.

Flame Retardants

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How much funding is being made available to assess the effectiveness and safety of new environmentally friendly, alternative flame retardants, which do not include the use of decaBDE.

Lord Rooker: In 2003, the Environment Agency commissioned a report on the prioritisation of flame retardants for environmental risk assessment. The aim of the study was to assess the use of and risks associated with flame retardants, in particular to identify substances that might require detailed consideration in terms of their possible impact on the environment. It also considered issues concerning substitution of flame retardants. The study noted that little was known about the effects of many of the substances, including those sometimes proposed for use as environmentally friendly substitutes.
	The new European regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (known as REACH) places on industry the responsibility to assess and understand the potential human health and environmental impacts of the substances that it produces in accordance with the principle of no data, no market. REACH also has the aim of replacing substances of very high concern, as defined by criteria in the regulation, with suitable alternatives. Industry will have to justify their continued use. These provisions will drive substitution of harmful substances and provide the assurance that the substitutes are less harmful than the substances that they replace. On current evidence, decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) does not meet the criteria of a substance of very high concern.

Flame Retardants

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What assessment they have made of the environmental safety of decabromodiphenyl ether in (a) medical devices and (b) textiles.

Lord Rooker: HM Government prepared a detailed environmental risk assessment and two addenda on behalf of the European Commission under the existing substances regulation (EC No. 793/93). The most recent of these is dated October 2007. These reports assess the potential risks arising from all known uses of the substance, including its use in polymers (some of which are used in electrical equipment) and textiles. Medical devices have not been explicitly assessed but would be expected to be covered generically by the assessment of polymer use.
	The assessments were performed in accordance with a European technical guidance document. Based on this methodology, no risks have been formally identified for use in either polymers or textiles. However, some concerns remain due to its widespread presence in the environment and the possibility that it might degrade under some circumstances to more toxic substances. Consequently, the importers are required to perform further testing under Commission regulation (EC No. 565/2006) of 6 April 2006. Industry has also initiated a voluntary programme to reduce point-source emissions from the plastic and textile industries.
	The assessment of human health risks was the responsibility of the French Government. The Health and Safety Executive commented on that report on behalf of HM Government.

Flame Retardants

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What steps they are taking to encourage environmentally friendly flame retardants.

Lord Rooker: In 2003, the Environment Agency commissioned a report on the prioritisation of flame retardants for environmental risk assessment. The aim of the study was to assess the use of, and risks associated with, flame retardantsin particular, to identify substances that might require detailed consideration in terms of their possible impact on the environment. It also considered issues concerning substitution of flame retardants. The study noted that little was known about the effects of many of the substances, including those sometimes proposed for use as environmentally friendly substitutes.
	The new European regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (known as REACH) places on industry the responsibility to assess and understand the potential human health and environmental impacts of the substances that it produces in accordance with the principle of no data, no market. REACH also has the aim of replacing substances of very high concern, as defined by criteria in the regulation, with suitable alternatives. Industry will have to justify their continued use. These provisions will drive substitution of harmful substances and provide the assurance that the substitutes are less harmful than the substances that they replace.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What action the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is taking to implement the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative in respect of its purchasing of pork and bacon; what proportion of pork and bacon purchased is British; what attention is given to farm assurance, animal welfare, and health and nutrition; and how often purchasing policy is reviewed.

Lord Rooker: The department is taking the following action:
	Proportion of pork and bacon supplied to Defra of British origin
	Defra intends to annually update its report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Whitehall departments. The report is published on the PSFPI website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/pdf/govt-food-usaqe.pdf.
	Farm assurance, animal welfare, and health and nutrition
	Information on Defras attention to these issues is given in the BPEX report Is the Government Buying British?, which was launched by the noble Lord in the House of Lords on 8 July.
	Defras food contracts manager has scheduled meetings with the main catering contractors to review progress in updating Defras contract management manual and monitoring progress in delivering PSFPI objectives, including working in partnership to try to ensure that the bacon and pork served meets UK legal requirements on animal welfare. The main contractor has also been in correspondence with BPEX and recently met the National Pig Association to discuss the pork and bacon that they supply to government clients.
	We have disseminated advice on animal welfare, health and nutrition across the public sector, including using the PSFPI website for this purpose. Defra will also be involved with the Department of Health on the new healthier food mark proposed by the Prime Ministers Strategy Unit to provide more appetising and nutritional menus and to improve environmental sustainability in the public sector.
	Review of purchasing policy
	Defra holds regular meetings with its catering contractors which cover purchasing policy.

Government: Inspectors

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How many persons classified in statute as inspectors have been (a) employed and (b) authorised by each government department in each year since 2000; and how many are currently (a) employed and (b) authorised by each department.

Baroness Vadera: The specific information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Government: Regional Offices

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How much each regional government office spent on (a) tourism promotion, and (b) economic development and regeneration, in each of the past five years.

Baroness Vadera: The primary role of regional development agencies (RDAs) is as strategic drivers of regional economic development in their region. The RDAs agenda includes regeneration, taking forward regional competitiveness, taking the lead on inward investment and, working with regional partners, ensuring the development of a skills action plan to ensure that skills training matches the needs of the labour market.
	The table below sets out the total gross expenditure per RDA, as laid down in the statutory accounts, in each of the past five years.
	
		
			 RDAs 2003-04 (£m) 2004-05 (£m) 2005-06 (£m) 2006-07 (£m) 2007-08 (£m) 
			 AWM 315 345 320 329 306 
			 EEDA 89 93 153 149 163 
			 EMDA 115 106 141 144 148 
			 LDA 258 244 325 455 386 
			 NWDA 271 359 357 406 395 
			 ONE 266 278 295 290 326 
			 SEEDA 125 164 182 195 194 
			 SWERDA 126 122 173 189 185 
			 YF 298 308 293 339 365 
		
	
	The table below shows the RDAs spend on marketing and promotion of tourism in their region. Several RDAs deliver tourism marketing and promotion at regional, sub-regional and/or local levels through a third-party organisation(s). In these cases the amount has been included in the figures below.
	
		
			 RDAs 2003-04 (£k) 2004-05 (£k) 2005-06 (£k) 2006-07 (£k) 2007-08 (£k) 
			 AWM 1 0 700 700 700 1,150 
			 EEDA 569 613 672 1,296 1,723 
			 EMDA 101 266 2,499 2,273 2,016 
			 LDA 2 0 16,217 14,743 14,847 15,241 
			 NWDA 10 2,650 2,584 2,647 2,404 
			 ONE 0 0 1,698 4,817 4,014 
			 SEEDA 0 0 0 374 400 
			 SWRDA 500 500 500 500 500 
			 YF 360 1,300 1,000 2,880 3,100 
		
	
	Footnotes:
	1 Estimated figures.
	2 Data represent the grant to Visit London. It is not possible to separate out marketing and promotion of tourism. London is recognised by the UK tourism industry as supporting the success of other UK destinations through its gateway role and Visit London plays an important delivery role in promoting London as a gateway to the rest of the UK.

Iran: UK Exports

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What was the total value of (a) annual United Kingdom exports to Iran; and (b) annual United Kingdom imports from Iran, in each of the past 10 years.

Lord Jones of Birmingham: The data requested are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Year UK exports of goods and services to Iran UK imports of goods and services from Iran 
			 1997 £448 million £46 million 
			 1998 £412 million £57 million 
			 1999 £333 million £54 million 
			 2000 £411 million £73 million 
			 2001 £596 million £65 million 
			 2002 £578 million £62 million 
			 2003 £687 million £74 million 
			 2004 £676 million £102 million 
			 2005 £656 million £78 million 
			 2006 £635 million £113 million 
			 Balance of payments basis, source: Pink Book 2007, Table 9.3 
		
	
	Data for 2007 on a balance of payments basis are due to be published at the end of October. Using a slightly different definition, HM Revenue and Customs overseas trade statistics covering trade in goods show:
	
		
			  UK exports of goods to Iran UK imports of goods from Iran 
			 2006 £431.4 million £71.7 million 
			 2007 £400.3 million £66.4 million

IT: Smart Computer Usage

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What reduction in carbon emissions could be achieved through the Governments smart computer usage campaign in (a) five, and (b) 10 years time; and how this could contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the public sector by 2020.

Lord Rooker: The Cabinet Office Minister, my honourable friend for West Bromwich East, launched HMGs Strategy for Greening Government ICT on Thursday 17 July. See http://www.cio.gov.uk/greening_government_ict/index.asp. This sets out clear targets and milestones for departments and their chief information officers to reduce the energy consumed by each department in its use of ICT and thereby reduce the attributed C02 emissions. The key first target is to achieve carbon neutrality for ICT in use by 2012 and for the ICT life cycle by 2020.

Libraries and Archives

Lord Howarth of Newport: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they plan to extend to designated collections in libraries and archives the funding opportunities that the Designation Challenge Fund provides for designated collections in museums.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Designation Challenge Fund is administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). It is funded through Renaissance funding, which is ring-fenced for museums. Designation Challenge Fund funding is therefore available only to designated library or archive collections that form an integral part of a designated museum collection. There are no plans at present to extend the scheme, but the MLA is considering options for additional funding to extend support for designated collections in archives and libraries.

Non-emergency Number

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How many instances of litter and fly-tipping have been reported to the 101 non-emergency number in each service area since the service was launched.

Lord Rooker: Defra does not hold data on the number of instances of litter and fly-tipping reported to the 101 non-emergency number.

Playing Fields

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How many playing fields were sold in (a) 2004, (b) 2005, (c) 2006 and (d) 2007; what the acreage of those playing fields was in each of those years; and what replacement provision was made in each of those years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Sport England collects information on its planning role relating to playing fields and not on the sale of playing fields. Sport England data, held by financial year, are as follows:
	2005-06
	The most recently available data from Sport England reveal that 1,176 (97 per cent) out of 1,216 concluded planning applications affecting playing fields in 2005-06 resulted in improved or protected sports provision. Sport England statistics also show that only 40 applications (3 per cent) resulted in a detrimental impact to sport. However, none of these cases resulted in a complete loss of a playing field.
	2004-05
	In 2004-05, the statistics show that 464 cases out of 1,087 concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved sports provision. In 576 cases sports provision was protected while 47 cases resulted in a detrimental impact on sport.
	2003-04
	In 2003-04, the statistics show that 458 cases out of 1,081 concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved sports provision. In 571 cases sports provision was protected while 52 cases resulted in a detrimental impact on sport.
	Replacement playing pitchesfurther detail2005-06
	In addition, in 2005-06 there were 115 cases where new-for-old replacement playing pitches were built, 14 of which provided increased space for sport.
	2004-05
	In 2004-05, there were 107 cases where new playing pitches were built. From this there were 62 cases where new pitches were built on existing sites, 19 cases where pitches were built on new like-for-like replacement sites and 26 cases where pitches were built on new replacement sites with increased space for sport.
	2003-04
	In 2003-04, there were 102 cases where new playing pitches were built. From this there were 63 cases where new pitches were built on existing sites, 26 cases where pitches were built on new like-for-like replacement sites and 13 cases where pitches were built on new replacement sites with increased space for sport.

Railways: St Pancras Train Shed

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether the St Pancras train shed is a listed building under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990; and what prosecution or enforcement powers English Heritage or the London Borough of Camden have under Section 9 of that Act.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We can confirm that the St Pancras train shed is a listed building under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
	Section 9 of the 1990 Act creates the offence of carrying out unauthorised work on a listed building but does not confer powers of prosecution. Enforcement action where there has been a breach of Section 9 may be taken by local planning authorities in the form of an enforcement notice issued under Section 38. The notice will specify the alleged contravention and the steps required to remedy it.

Solar and Photovoltaic Installations

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether the funding available for the Rural Development Programme for 2007-13 for the east Midlands will cover solar or photovoltaic installations; and, if not, why they are excluded.

Lord Rooker: Solar or photovoltaic installations can potentially be supported as part of a justified project proposal that will follow the normal appraisal and approval process carried out by the East Midlands Development Agency.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 17 December 2007 (WA 109) and the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 22 April (WA 295), how a copy of a 1970 memorandum by the chief counsel of Monsanto appeared in documents sent to Mr Gowan by the Environment Agency Wales as the result of a data protection request; and why a letter was sent to Mr Gowan on 29 June 2006 by a member of staff of the Environment Agency Wales to thank him for sending a copy of the February 1972 remediation agreement to the Environment Agency Wales.

Lord Rooker: I have been informed by the Environment Agency Wales that the only memorandum provided and dating from 1970 was from Dr Papageorge, Monsantos former chief scientist. This has been returned to Mr Gowan following his subject access requests under the Data Protection Act.
	The Environment Agency has no record of the letter referred to by Mr Gowan dated 29 June 2006 confirming receipt of a remediation agreement.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether access to the environs of Brofiscin Quarry is prohibited to humans; and, if not, whether it is considered safe for children to play there.

Lord Rooker: I have been informed by the Environment Agency Wales that Brofiscin Quarry is in private ownership and as such securing the land from trespass is the responsibility of the landowner. However, the agency has discussed such issues with the landowner and he has prohibited access to the quarry so far as is reasonably practicable. Access to the landowners site is via single track road with a secure lockable gate. The quarry itself is isolated by fencing within the secured site area and signage is present at the quarry entrance.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 9 July (WA 90), when and in what form Mr Gowan instructed the Environment Agency Wales to destroy all copies of his original documents.

Lord Rooker: I have been informed by the Environment Agency Wales that in an undated letter e-mailed to Brabners Chaffe Street LLP and received on 2 November 2007 Mr Gowan requested that all copies of his original documents be shredded. This request was passed to the Environment Agency and complied with. It has not destroyed any original documents or evidentiary proofs belonging to Mr Gowan. Where original documents and evidentiary proofs had been received by the Environment Agency from Mr Gowan, these have been returned to him.

Waste Management: Packaging

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they will issue guidance on the packaging of central and local government reports to ensure they do not use excess cardboard or paper.

Lord Rooker: There are no plans to issue any specific guidance on the subject, but Her Majestys Government will adhere to the key objectives set out in the waste strategy for England 2007 of less waste and more reuse and recycling.

Afghanistan: Objectives

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are their objectives in Afghanistan; and how they will know when they have been met.

Lord Malloch-Brown: On 12 December 2007 (Official Report, cols. 303-07) my right honourable friend the Prime Minister announced in another place a long-term and comprehensive framework for security, political, social and economic development for Afghanistan, setting out our strategy and objectives. Further detail on my right honourable friend the Prime Minister's Statement and the UK's involvement in Afghanistan can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website at: www.fco.gov.uk/ukandafghanistan.
	Our presence in Afghanistan is at the request of the democratically elected Afghan Government. Alongside 39 other nations as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-led International Security Assistance Force, we are there to support the Afghan Government in delivering greater economic development to improve the lives of the Afghan people and to ensure Afghanistan is never again a haven for terrorism and narcotics production, which threaten not only Afghanistan but the world. We are taking a comprehensive approach towards Afghanistan. Our Armed Forces, along with diplomats and officials, are in Afghanistan as part of this co-ordinated effort to support the Afghan Government in building the necessary institutions to manage their own security and development. This is a long-term commitment.

Afghanistan: Poppy Crop

Lord Rowe-Beddoe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the anticipated receipts to the Afghan farming community for its production of the poppy crop in the 2008 calendar year are more or less than the United Kingdom defence budget allocated to support United Kingdom military operations in Afghanistan for the same period.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We do not allocate funds specifically to support operations in Afghanistan, as the net additional costs are recovered from the Treasury reserve. The figure for 2007-08 was £1.5 billion.
	The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that the total export value of opiates produced in and trafficked from Afghanistan in 2007 was about $4 billion. The vast majority of profits from the opium trade go to drug traffickers rather than the farmers, and most of the traffickers profits go outside the country.

Arabic

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many speakers of Arabic are employed in the United Kingdom by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and what percentage of total Foreign and Commonwealth Office employees this represents.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The number of UK-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officers with an Arabic qualification employed in the UK is 116. This is 1.97 per cent of the FCO workforce. The total number of UK-based FCO officers with an Arabic qualification is 267, 4.53 per cent of the FCO workforce.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, what work has been undertaken on the project for an Indirect Fire Precision Attack Loitering Munition; what relevant contracts have been entered into; and what is the cost to public funds to date of work on that project; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, what work has been undertaken on the project for a Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon; what relevant contracts have been entered into; and what is the cost to public funds to date of work on that project; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, what work has been undertaken on the project for Selected Precision Effects at Range; what relevant contracts have been entered into; and what is the cost to public funds to date of work on that project; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, what work has been undertaken on the project for a Storm Shadow Capability Enhancement Programme; what relevant contracts have been entered into; and what is the cost to public funds to date of work on that project; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, what work has been undertaken on the project for Future Local Area Air Defence Systems; what relevant contracts have been entered into; and what is the cost to public funds to date of work on that project.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Two enabling contracts have been placed to undertake the work associated with the assessment phase (AP) for complex weapons, announced on 15 July 2008. One of these contracts has been placed with MBDA (UK) Ltd and covers work on the Indirect Fire Precision Attack Loitering Munition (IFPA LM), Future Air to Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) (FASGWH), Selected Precision Effects at Range (SPEAR), Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS), and Storm Shadow Capability Enhancement (SSCEP) programmes.
	The second enabling contract has been placed with Thales UK for work on the Future Air to Surface Guided Weapon (Light) (FASGWL) programme. These two contracts are linked through a further contract, referred to as a teaming agreement (TA), which has been signed by the Ministry of Defence and all the industrial members of Team CW. The TA and the enabling contracts will be used to test this innovative approach towards the acquisition and support of complex weapons. These contracts follow earlier concept phase work, particularly on the systems to meet the IFPA LM and FASGW requirements, and related research and technology activity, particularly on technologies for Storm Shadow and on the system proposal to meet the FLAADS requirement.
	The work associated with these AP enabling contracts builds on the early studies and technology development, and includes elements from continuing detailed concept work to understand and develop system solutions to development activity for those system proposals which are more advanced.
	The Team CW approach is based on using funding across the six projects flexibly, by treating them as a single programme. The value of the first payment against these contracts is some £17 million. MoD expenditure on the earlier concept phase and research activity against these five military requirements has amounted to some £25 million.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with other European Union Governments about attending the court proceedings in Bahrain against human rights defenders, identified by Front Line and Human Rights Watch, in accordance with the European Union guidelines on human rights defenders; and whether they will publish the conclusions reached as a result of these observations.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We take every opportunity, often working with our EU partners, to urge states to pursue laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect. In certain cases, the EU presidency may consider issuing a démarche on behalf of member states.
	We have had no discussions with third-party Governments about any court proceedings in Bahrain, nor do we attend court proceedings in Bahrain other than those involving British citizens. Our embassy in Manama monitors developments and frequently discusses the detention of possible human rights defenders with the Bahraini Ministry of Interior. The UK also continues to emphasise the importance of adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain has ratified.

Belfast Agreement: Ethnicity

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 June (WA 175) concerning the meaning of ethnicity, how they defined the word when included in the Belfast agreement of 1998.

Lord Rooker: No definition of ethnicity was included in the Belfast agreement. The agreement was given effect in UK domestic law primarily by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, in which the term racial group is used. As explained in my previous Answer of 13 May 2008 (Official Report, col. WA 119), Section 75(5) of that Act defines racial group as having the same meaning as in the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

Bloody Sunday: Saville Inquiry

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 1 July (WA 26), in what circumstances an apology is offered when information is incorrectly published; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 1 July (WA 26) concerning a Secretary of State giving incorrect information about the cost of the Saville inquiry, why they will not issue an apology.

Lord Rooker: Decisions on whether to offer apologies for any errors will generally be taken on a case-by-case basis.
	As explained in my Written Answer to the noble Lord of 30 April 2008 (Official Report, col. WA 24), the incorrect information about the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry was corrected on 20 July 2006. We apologise for any confusion caused.

British Overseas Territories

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why a posting appeared on the website of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 5 July quoting Ms Meg Munn MP as responding to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report on Britains Overseas Territories, when that report had yet to be published.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Through a combination of technical and human error, a press notice embargoed until 00.01 on 6 July was inadvertently published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website some nine hours ahead of its embargo. We have reviewed our procedures to ensure this incident is not repeated. I regret the error, and my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Meg Munn, has written to the chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to apologise.

British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 21 July 2008 (WA 199) concerning the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat, on what basis a decision was taken on what is meant by mutual interest; and by whom.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer given on 21 July, Official Report, col. WA 199.

Census

Lord Laird: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What are the figures by category for each of the national identity and religion questions in the 13 May 2007 England and Wales test census.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Laird, dated July 2008.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Question asking for the figures by category for each of the national identity and religion questions in the 13 May 2007 England and Wales census test [HL4818].
	The 2007 census test was a voluntary test carried out among 100,000 households in five local authorities, Bath and North East Somerset, Camden, Carmarthenshire, Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent. The aims of the test were to:
	compare the effectiveness of hand delivery and post-out of questionnaires;assess the outsourcing of the recruitment, training and pay for the field force;assess the impact on response of the inclusion of an income question; andassess the quality of available address information.
	The detailed responses to the questions included on the test questionnaires will, as in previous tests, be used only to evaluate the outcomes of the test in order to inform the final design of the 2011 census. We are not planning to release details of the responses to particular questions since these will have little statistical value for the following reasons:
	the test covered only selected areas within the five local authorities, which were chosen primarily for field administrative purposes;response to the test was voluntary and varied considerably from area to area, with an overall return rate of 46 per cent;no adjustment for non-response bias has been made;no analysis of the multi-tick responses has yet been carried out; andno output processing measures to protect statistical confidentiality have been applied.
	The results of the test are still being evaluated, and the reports of the evaluation, due for publication later this summer, will include some analysis of questionnaire responses, but only in so far as they address the objectives of the test.

Census

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will consider a breakdown of the question on religion in the 2011 England and Wales census.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Laird, dated July 2008.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Question asking for consideration of a breakdown of the question on religion in the 2011 England and Wales census [HL4850].
	It is proposed that there will be a breakdown of the question on religion in the 2011 census similar to that of the question asked in the 2001 census.
	Final decisions on the content of the 2011 census will not be made until the programme of consultation and question-testing is complete and formal approval is given by Parliament in 2010. A White Paper setting out the proposals for the 2011 census, including the wording of any religion question, is scheduled to be published towards the end of 2008.

Children: Secure Training Centres

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many professional visits by (a) local authority social workers, (b) youth offending team workers, (c) counsellors and therapists, (d) lawyers, (e) independent advocates, (f) Youth Justice Board monitors, and (g) Ofsted inspectors to children detained in secure training centres in the last 12 months were held in private.

Lord Adonis: The Youth Justice Board does not collate statistics on this issue, but the board informs me that, in most cases, professional visits are held privately in rooms specifically designated for this purpose. Custody officers are positioned outside the room. Occasionallyif, for example, the professional has concerns about meeting the young person alonethe director of the centre may arrange for a suitable member of staff also to attend the meeting. Such an arrangement would be planned and agreed in advance.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 July (WA 107), whether they will commission research to estimate the annual number of (a) children and (b) adults in the developing world who may be dying from malnutrition-related illnesses which could be linked to the Common Agricultural Policy.

Lord Rooker: Our 2005 common agricultural policy (CAP) vision is clear that securing further trade reform in the WTO, particularly of agriculture, would generate substantial benefits for the global economy and work towards poverty reduction. However, establishing the direct causal link between the CAP and malnutrition in developing countries is likely to be difficult if not impossible to do, considering the complexities both around the impact of the CAP on global and local markets and issues around malnutrition, poverty, entitlements and food security. While the UK does support ongoing research into issues of malnutrition, poverty and food security, it would not seem prudent to divert scarce resources into trying to establish this causal link.

Diplomatic Recognition

Lord Cotter: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why, following the finding of the House of Lords that Mr Hany Salaam was dishonest in a $50 million fraud, he was subsequently accredited to the United Kingdom as a diplomat with full diplomatic status, whilst continuing to conduct business transactions from an office in London.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Mr Salaam's appointment to the embassy of Gabon was notified to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in September 2006. Article 7 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 allows a sending state to,
	freely appoint the members of staff of the mission.
	The formal process of agreement applies only to heads of mission, and we do not conduct background checks on members of the mission.
	We take a serious view of any foreign diplomat breaching the provisions of Article 42 of the Vienna Convention that,
	a diplomatic agent shall not in the receiving state practise for personal profit any professional or commercial activity.
	We are seeking further information about Mr Salaam's role at the embassy of Gabon, and I shall write to the noble Lord when we have further information.

Diplomatic Service List

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will reintroduce the Diplomatic Service list; and whether there is an electronic edition of the list available on the internet.

Lord Malloch-Brown: There are no plans to reintroduce the Diplomatic Service list and there is no electronic edition of the list on the internet, nor any plan to produce one. The process of maintaining and collating details of staff movements and biographical data would be a year-round task and heavily labour intensive, and the cost of producing such a document, whether electronically or in hard copy, cannot be justified given the limited take-up of the product in the past.

Disabled People: UN Convention

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they plan to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government are committed to ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It remains our aim to ratify the convention by the end of the year.

Discrimination

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will amend United Kingdom anti-discrimination legislation in light of the decision of the European Court of Justice in Case C-303/06 Coleman v Attridge Law.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government are giving careful consideration to the judgment of the European Court of Justice in Coleman v Attridge Law and the implications it may have for domestic disability discrimination legislation in particular, before making any decisions on changes to the current legal framework.

E-Privacy and Data Protection

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Through what legislation they have transposed the requirement of the ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC that member states shall ensure the confidentiality of communications and the related traffic data by means of a public communications network and publicly available electronic communications services.

Baroness Vadera: The UK transposed the requirements of the e-privacy directive 2002/58/EC by the introduction of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, which came into force on 11 December 2003. The regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 September 2003 by means of Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 2426.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What action the Cabinet Office is taking to implement the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative in respect of its purchasing of pork and bacon; what proportion of pork and bacon purchased is British; what attention is given to farm assurance, animal welfare, and health and nutrition; and how often purchasing policy is reviewed.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The vast majority of food procured for catering and hospitality purposes across the Cabinet Offices central London estate is undertaken by our facilities management providers (FMPs). The Cabinet Office actively encourages its FMPs to implement the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative wherever practical and viable.
	All bacon purchased is Danish; other pork products purchased are British. The primary reason for using non-UK-sourced bacon is that, at current prices, Danish bacon is three times cheaper than British bacon.
	All meat purchased by our FMPs meat suppliers are in line with RSPCA Freedom Food standards, Assured Food Standards and the quality pork standard.
	Our FMPs purchasing policy is reviewed annually. However, in some cases, reviews are conducted quarterly by our FMPs to monitor performance, cost and quality.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What information technology contracts have been entered into by the Department for Communities and Local Government and its predecessors and its agencies in each of the past three years; and what is the total value of those contracts.

Baroness Andrews: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer to the honourable Member for Fareham in the other House on 15 July 2008 (Official Report, col. 266W), which lists IT contracts awarded by the department and its agencies over the past two years. Details on earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	A breakdown of the contract values for the contracts let by Communities could be supplied only at disproportionate cost, as this information is not held centrally.
	The total values of the contracts awarded by the department's agencies in that reply are:
	
		
			 Fire Service College £559,590 
			 Ordnance Survey £11,517,000 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre £65,000 
			 Planning Inspectorate £1,301,500

Government: Mail Delivery

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much the Prime Minister's office spent on non-Royal Mail delivery and courier services in each of the last five years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Prime Ministers office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. Information on how much the Cabinet Office spent on non-Royal Mail delivery and courier services in each of the past five years is not fully available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Government: Sick Leave

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many working days have been lost to sick leave by employees of the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies and predecessors in each of the last five years, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total days worked.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The department is unable to provide information in the format requested. We do not record total days worked because it is impracticable to record all staff absences, including time off for short medical appointments. Working days available is recorded because this is a more accurate measure.
	The following information represents the number of working days lost to sickness absence as a proportion of the number of working days available currently recorded on the department's personnel computer system.
	
		
			 2007-08 
			  Working Days Lost % of Working Days Available 
			 DWP *1,052,557 4.48 
			 Jobcentre Plus 671,915 4.47 
			 The Pension Service 112,953 4.29 
			 Disability and Carers Service 61,155 4.69 
			 Child Support Agency 126,607 5.49 
			 Others, including corporate and shared services 79,930 3.61 
		
	
	* A uniform method of calculation was introduced across government in April 2007. Among other things, this excluded unpaid sickness from official sickness absence data.
	
		
			 2006-07 
			  Working Days Lost % of Working Days Available 
			 DWP 1,256,157 4.39 
			 Jobcentre Plus 803,900 4.47 
			 The Pension Service 124,943 3.69 
			 Disability and Carers Service 68,841 4.30 
			 Child Support Agency 152,208 5.16 
			 Others, including corporate and shared Services 106,265 3.96 
		
	
	
		
			 2005-06 
			  Working Days Lost % of Working Days Available 
			 DWP 1,335,694 4.25 
			 Jobcentre Plus 833,539 4.22 
			 The Pension Service 142,835 3.75 
			 Disability and Carers Service 69,374 3.89 
			 Child Support Agency 137,437 4.79 
			 Others, including corporate and shared services 152,509 4.72 
		
	
	
		
			 2004-05 
			  Working Days Lost % of Working Days Available 
			 DWP 1,702,691 5.05 
			 Jobcentre Plus 1,046,315 5 
			 The Pension Service 225,570 4.91 
			 Disability and Carers Service 51,514 2.79 
			 Child Support Agency 179,058 6.34 
			 Others, including corporate and shared services 200,233 5.67 
		
	
	
		
			 2003-04 
			  Working Days Lost % of Working Days Available 
			 DWP 1,779,944 5.07 
			 Jobcentre Plus 1,109,325 5.10 
			 The Pension Service 245,944 4.76 
			 Child Support Agency 187,113 6.44 
			 Others, including corporate and shared services 237,563 4.50

Housing: Home Information Packs

Lord Bradley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what circumstances the fee for a home information pack may be paid to an estate agent in advance of the surveys for the pack being undertaken.

Baroness Andrews: There are no circumstances in which the fee for a home information pack may be paid to an estate agent in advance of surveys for the pack being undertaken, as the HIP does not include a survey.

Indonesia: Religious Minorities

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their reaction to the decree adopted by the Indonesian Cabinet banning activities by the Ahmadiyya Muslims; and, given the treatment of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Indonesia, what stance they will take on the United Nations Human Rights Council's adoption of the Universal Periodic Review of Indonesia.

Lord Malloch-Brown: I refer the noble Lord to my responses to previous Questions tabled in this House about the Ahmadiyya community in Indonesia: on 19 May Official Report, col. WA 165, 19 June, col. WA 190 and 23 June, col. WA209.
	My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Meg Munn, welcomed the opportunity to discuss this matter with the noble Lord and representatives of the UK Ahmadiyya Association on 8 July. As she set out at the meeting, the UK is concerned about the treatment of the Ahmaddiya community in Indonesia and has raised its concerns with the Indonesian authorities several times over recent weeks, including with the Indonesian ambassador on 3 June.
	The UK also raised the treatment of the Ahmadiyya community in Indonesia at the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review of Indonesia in Geneva on 9 April. We believe that Indonesia participated positively in its review and made a number of important commitments to improve human rights in the country. Indonesia reiterated these commitments at the adoption of its Universal Periodic Review report on 9 June. These commitments form part of our ongoing dialogue with Indonesia both bilaterally and through the EU. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and look for further opportunities to raise the issue of respect for religious freedoms with the Indonesian authorities.

Infrastructure

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What public consultation has taken place on the proposal to create a National Infrastructure Planning Commission; and what was the number, the nature of any organisations and the geographical location of those who (a) were consulted and (b) responded.

Baroness Andrews: The proposal to create an Infrastructure Planning Commission was set out in the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future, published on 21 May 2007, and forms part of the planning Bill currently before the House. We intend that the Infrastructure Planning Commission will take decisions on nationally significant transport, energy, water, waste and waste water projects in England; we also intend it to take decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects where these have not been devolved, such as:
	certain energy and harbour projects in Wales; andcross-border oil and gas pipelines in Scotland.
	The Government carried out a national consultation on the proposals in the White Paper, inviting comments by 17 August 2007. By 31 August, around 32,100 responses had been received. Of these, approximately 31,000 were in general terms and mostly part of campaigns organised by non-governmental organisations. The remaining 1,100 were more detailed and came from businesses or business representative groups, government bodies including the local government sector, professionals and academics including the planning community, environmental and community groups and members of the public.
	On 27 November the Government published their response to the consultation and, alongside this, two detailed background papers. Background paper A sets out an analysis of the consultation responses, and background paper B summarised other comments received and provided a list of respondents. All these documents are available online at the following address: www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planning/planningpolicyimplementation/reformplanningsystem/planningwhitepaper.
	The information on the geographical location of those responding could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Internet: Copyright

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider that the unauthorised alteration of the contents of a network stream constitutes copying or adapting a copyright work without first obtaining a licence from the copyright holder for the purpose of interpreting the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended, sets out the boundaries of copyright law in the UK, which includes the exclusive rights that copyright owners have in relation to the works that they create. It is a matter for the courts to determine the application of that framework in relation to particular circumstances.

Internet: Deep Packet Inspection

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What advice they have received from the Information Commissioner's Office with regard to Deep Packet Inspection and use of cookies with or without consent from internet users.

Baroness Vadera: The Government have received no direct advice from the Information Commisioner on these issues. However, on the matter of Phorm, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) made a statement on 3 March that it was in discussion with Phorm about the nature of its service and the way it uses information about internet service provider customers. BT intends to run a trial using Phorm's service involving around 10,000 broadband users in the near future. The ICO has discussed the trial with the relevant parties, and BT has made it clear that, unless customers positively opt in to the trial, their web browsing will not be monitored for subsequent delivery of advertisements. The ICO will maintain close contact with Phorm and BT throughout the trial. It is important that people's privacy is protected, and the ICO, Phorm and BT are all committed to ensuring that any use of Phorm is compatible with the relevant privacy legislation.

Internet: Unencrypted Material

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the advice of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office that copyright applies to computing and the internet in the same way as material in other media, and whether they consider that all unencrypted material published on the internet is public domain and therefore free from copyright.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The Government have made no such assessment. The UK Intellectual Property Office is part of the Government, and its position on intellectual property matters reflects the Governments views.
	The publishing of material in an unencrypted form on the web has no impact on the question whether copyright subsists in a work, or on the ownership of any copyright. The copyright situation with regard to any particular piece of published material will depend on the circumstances surrounding that item, including any permission that may have been given by the copyright owner.

Israel and Palestine: Gaza

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have received evidence that Israeli forces fired shells into the Gaza Strip on 16 April that contained flechettes; and whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel about this matter.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) is conducting an investigation into the incident on 16 April in Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of several Palestinians, including a Reuters cameraman. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has raised the incident with the relevant Israeli authorities on several occasions. We are unlikely to be in a position to comment further before the results of the IDF investigation are available.

Northern Ireland Office: Budget

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 12 May (WA 113) concerning the budget of the Northern Ireland Office, what were the changing resource requirements for work which caused an increase of over 100 per cent in the budget of the sponsoring division for the Bill of Rights Forum between 200203 and 200304.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to my previous Answer on 16 June 2008, Official Report, col. WA 136.

Northern Ireland Office: Questions for Written Answer

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Since 1 January, how many Questions for Written Answer in the House of Lords have been answered by the Northern Ireland Office inside 14 days; and what that is as a percentage of the total.

Lord Rooker: Of the 382 Questions received by the Northern Ireland Office since 1 January, 193 have been answered within 14 days. This represents 51 per cent of the total.
	These figures cover Questions tabled up to and including 11 July.

Northern Ireland Office: Staffing

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people are employed in the Northern Ireland Office; what their grades are; and how this compares with each of the last three years.

Lord Rooker: The following table shows details of staff employed within the Northern Ireland Office and what their grades are. For comparison purposes, the figures have been taken for April of each year.
	
		
			 GRADE 2008 2007 2006 2005 
			 SCS 46 50 47 50 
			 A 194 185 186 168 
			 B1 289 265 215 201 
			 B2 228 256 269 268 
			 C 460 447 457 462 
			 Dl 569 587 569 489 
			 D2 271 260 330 265 
			 Indust. 31 29 9 6 
			 Total 2088 2079 2082 1909

Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 10 June (WA 95) concerning the appointment of the chairman of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum, what assessment they have made of the effect on public confidence in any appointment of the absence of knowledge of who made the appointment; on what information the chairman was identified; and how.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 19 February, Official Report, col. WA 46. The appointment of Chris Sidoti was made by Northern Ireland Office Ministers.
	In relation to the identification of Mr Sidoti for the post and the information held about him, I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answers given on 5 February, col. WA 171; 19 February, col. WA 46; 3 March, col. WA 158; 3 March, col. WA 160; 18 March, col. WA 29; 18 March, col. WA 30; 24 April, col. WA 315; 13 May, col. WA 129 [HL 3312]; 13 May, col. WA 129 [HL 3354]; 2 June, col. WA42; 10 June, col. WA 95 and 21 July, col. WA 215.

Northern Ireland: Equality and Parity

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 217) concerning funding for Irish culture and languages, from whom they have received representations; and whether in making extra funding available only to the Irish community, they are complying with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Lord Rooker: The Government have received a range of representations from individuals, organisations and political parties. The additional funding made available to the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund, which was one of a number of bodies set up in response to commitments made in the Belfast agreement and joint declaration to help support linguistic diversity in Northern Ireland, simply enables the fund to continue beyond its current end date of 31 March 2009, until the end of the CSR period.

Parades: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 25 June (WA 255) concerning costs of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, what mediation initiatives were established in 200506; and what expenditure was incurred on each.

Lord Rooker: During the year 2005-06 there were no specific mediation initiatives carried out by the Parades Commission.

Parades: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many monitors the Northern Ireland Parades Commission had on duty on 12 July; who selected them; and how much they were paid.

Lord Rooker: There were 13 monitors on duty on 12 July, and all Parades Commission monitors who were available were requested to attend parades on that day. Monitors are volunteers who receive £25 to cover all expenses incurredexcept travel, for which they are paid at the standard Civil Service rate of 40p per mileassociated with monitoring at parades and parade-related protests over a 24-hour period.

Parades: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 21 July 2008 (WA 220), concerning monitors for the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, why it is not appropriate to provide the names of individual monitors.

Lord Rooker: Due to both the sensitive nature of their work and the fact that it is performed on a voluntary basis, it would not be appropriate to name individual monitors.

Parades: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 220) concerning the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, when the position of chairman was advertised; who made the selection; and what qualifications those concerned had to make that appointment.

Lord Rooker: Advertisements inviting applications for Parades Commission chairman appeared in the press from 26 July 2005.
	In accordance with paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 1 to the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, the chairman of the Parades Commission is appointed by the Secretary of State.

Prisoners: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Since 1 January, how many prisoners in Northern Ireland have been released on compassionate or other leave; and how many have returned.

Lord Rooker: Twenty two prisoners have been released on compassionate leave, and 359 prisoners have been released on other leave (home and resettlement leave) from 1 January 2008 to 23 July 2008. All have returned to prison.

Royal Mail: Pension Service Post

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Pensions Reform, Mr Mike OBrien, on 3 June (HC Deb, 803W), whether, under the contracted arrangements whereby Royal Mail opens post for the Pension Service, Royal Mail staff have access to personal and private information provided by members of the public; and, if so, whether only individuals who have been security cleared may open such post.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Royal Mail is working as part of contracted arrangements with the department to open the post received by the Pension Service. While all Royal Mail employees who perform mail-opening duties for the department do have access to personal and private information provided by members of the public, they are subject to a robust range of checks into identity, background and character.
	All Royal Mail staff who open and handle the departments post are bound by confidentiality agreements that specify that all mail will be processed in adherence to DWP and Cabinet Office security requirements. Additionally, robust security measures are in place for post-opening; for example, all mail is processed in a separate and secure location designated for DWP mail, with CCTV to monitor post-opening.

Sudan: Crimes Against Humanity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Sudanese officials, identified for investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, have travelled to the United Kingdom in the past four years; what was the purpose of their visit; and what restrictions will be placed on their future visits to the United Kingdom.

Lord Malloch-Brown: In 2007 the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two individuals, Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushayb, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On 14 July 2008 the ICC prosecutor applied to the court for a further warrant, for Sudanese President Bashir, on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. None of these individuals has travelled to the UK in the past four years. Before allowing any individual under investigation by the ICC into the UK we would consider our legal obligations under the Rome statute, including our obligation to arrest and surrender to the ICC any individual for whom there was an outstanding warrant.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the circumstances surrounding the deaths of six peacekeepers from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur; and what is being done to identify those responsible.

Lord Malloch-Brown: On 8 July an unidentified militia ambushed a UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping patrol in north Darfur, killing seven peacekeepers and wounding 22. The UN Secretary-General on 9 July called on the Government of Sudan to do their utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice. The UN and the AU have begun a preliminary fact-finding investigation into the attack, which will be followed by an official investigation. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on 9 July called the attack a,
	horrific and cowardly act of violence
	and has reiterated the UN Security Council's call for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress is being made in identifying and indicting those responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, with a view to bringing them to trial at the International Criminal Court.

Lord Malloch-Brown: In 2007, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two individuals, Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushayb, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UK has a long-standing position of support for the work and purposes of the ICC. We have pressed the Government of Sudan at all levels to co-operate fully with the ICC investigation. Most recently, my right honorouble friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this to the Sudanese president during his visit to Khartoum on 9 July.
	On 14 July, the ICC prosecutor announced his application to the ICC judges for an arrest warrant against President Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It would be premature to comment or speculate on the outcome of the ICC deliberations.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made in fulfilling the Prime Minister's undertaking to provide helicopters to the United Nations-African Union and United Nations mission in Darfur and facilitate peace talks in London.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We are supporting the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations by lobbying countries to fill the remaining shortfall of 18 medium transport helicopters for the UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). We welcome Ethiopia's offer of five light tactical helicopters for UNAMID.
	My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, on 9 July in Khartoum, reiterated the UK's willingness to host talks in support of the UN/AU-led Darfur political process when the right conditions are in place. We continue to explore the scope for this with the UN, the AU, Sudan's neighbours, international partners, the Government of Sudan and Darfur movements.

Sudan: Peacekeepers

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What defensive military equipment and how much ammunition was available to the United Nations-African Union peacekeepers recently killed in Darfur; what means they had for defending themselves; and what weapons were used.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The seven UN-African Union (AU) peacekeepers killed in Darfur on 8 July were part of a 65-person patrol, consisting primarily of infantry soldiers. We do not have specific information about the weaponry and ammunition quantities of the patrol.
	We are working with the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations and international partners to ensure that the UN-AU mission has the equipment it needs, including through £4 million for training and equipping African troop contributing countries and extensive lobbying for helicopters and other critical enablers.

Ulster-Scots

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 216) concerning funding for Ulster Scots language and culture and for Irish language and culture, why they did not address the position of funding for Ulster Scots language and culture in their Answer; and what is the position regarding such funding.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July Official Report, col. WA216. No other funds outside the block grant were made available during the timescale referred to in the noble Lords pervious Question. With that exception, funding for Northern Irelands linguistic diversity and culture comes from within the Northern Ireland block.

Zimbabwe: Licence to Print Money

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the effect on President Mugabe of the withdrawal by the German company concerned of the licence for software used to print currency in Zimbabwe; and whether they will discuss the withdrawal of that licence with the Government of Germany.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We have welcomed the decision of the German company to cease delivering banknote paper to Zimbabwe with immediate effect, and believe it will have a significant impact on the ability of the Government of Zimbabwe to manage the country's ever-worsening cash crisis. As for the issue of a software licence, we are discussing this with the German Government.

Zimbabwe: SADC Conference

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the effect on the principles of democracy in Zimbabwe of Southern African Development Community countries holding a forthcoming conference for liberation war movements; and whether they will make representations about it.

Lord Malloch-Brown: As far as we are aware, there are no plans for such a conference. However, the noble Lord may be referring to a gathering in Kampala on 16 July at which the president of the African National Congress delivered a memorial lecture in honour of the late Brigadier Noble Mayombo of Uganda. He made a reference to the instability in Zimbabwe and the need for African leaders to find a lasting solution. The full text is available on the internet at: http://www.anc.org.za.

Airports: Heathrow

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 17 July (WA 180-81), what constitutes economic benefits in considering a waiver to land at Heathrow Airport before 6 am.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Economic considerations do not form part of the criteria set out in the departments guidelines on flights which may be given dispensations.

Airports: Heathrow

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 17 July (WA 180-81), from which airlines the 177 flights given waivers to land at Heathrow Airport before 6 am that related to delays during the period January to June 2008 came from; and how many of these flights were from each airline.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: During the period January to June 2008, airlines were granted the following dispensations to operate during the night quota period at Heathrow: British Airways (69); bmi (30); Qantas (7); Virgin Atlantic airways (7); Olympic (5); Gulf Air (5); United Airlines (3); GB (3); Aer Lingus (3); Sri Lankan (3); Iberia (3); Cyprus Airways (3); Air Canada (2); Lot Polish Airlines (2); Alitalia (2); SAS (2); Thai International (2); Singapore Airlines (2); El Al (2); Malaysia Airlines (2); Cathay Pacific (2); Lufthansa (2); Air India (2); Emirates (2); Jet Airways (2). A number of airlines (American Airlines, Air Malta, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, TAM, Aeroflot, Air France, TAP, EVA and Korean Air) were granted a single dispensation.

Airports: Heathrow

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 17 July (WA180-81), what constitutes a VIP in relation to waivers to land at Heathrow Airport before 6 am; who was the senior VIP in each of the seven VIP flights that were given such a waiver in the period January to June 2008; and whether the flights were in transit or whether Heathrow was the final airport destination.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transports guidelines on flights which may be given dispensations from the night restrictions define VIPs as senior members of the Royal Family, UK Government Ministers and Service Chiefs of Staff, senior members of foreign Royal Families, Heads of State, and senior Ministers on an official visit or business where the person is being met by a government representative.
	Of the seven flights granted dispensations, four were for official overseas visits by the Prime Minister. The other three were granted for flights by the French President, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs and the US Secretary of State on official visits to the UK. In all cases, Heathrow was either the final airport destination or departure point.

Airports: Heathrow

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 17 July (WA180-81), what constitutes an emergency in relation to waivers to land at Heathrow Airport before 6 am; and what was the emergency for each of the flights given a waiver to land prior to 6 am in the period January to June 2008.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: An emergency is defined as a flight where there is an immediate danger to life or health, whether human or animal. Such flights are excluded automatically from night restrictions irrespective of the type of aircraft involved.

Airports: Heathrow

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 17 July (WA 180-81), what has been the estimated cost to the Exchequer of public officials servicing flights that have been granted a waiver to land at Heathrow Airport prior to 6 am during the period January to June 2008.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: This is part of the normal work of officials so no additional costs arise from the consideration of dispensations requests by the Department for Transport.

Benefits: Disability Living Allowance

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What contact the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions had with the chief executive officer of the royal national institute for the blind on 21 July about the eligibility of blind people for the higher rate mobility component of the disability living allowance; and what assurances he gave.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Over the last two years Ministers, including the Secretary of State, have had discussions with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) about whether there is scope to extend the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance to more people with severe visual impairments. While we understand the force of the arguments put forward by the RNIB, and support its aim of assisting visually impaired people to return to or remain in work, we cannot agree to amend the existing arrangements for the mobility component of disability living allowance at this time. We have, however, assured the chief executive that we will continue to work with the RNIB to explore the technical feasibility of its proposals.
	Part of the strategy announced in the Green Paper published on 21 July, No OneWritten OffReforming Welfare to Reward Responsibility (Cm 7363), is the proposal to double the Access to Work budget to help greater numbers of disabled people return to and remain in work. Currently, around one in four customers of Access to Work is a person with a visual impairment. The additional funding we are proposing will ensure that more disabled people, including people with a visual impairment, are provided with the opportunity to support themselves and their families through paid work.

Children: UNCRC Observations

Baroness Walmsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they plan to disseminate the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Childs concluding observations to (a) children, (b) parents, (c) the children's workforce, and (d) within government; and
	How they will ensure information is disseminated on the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations to children in institutional settings, including custody; and what steps they will take to ensure information is disseminated in an accessible language and format for disabled children; and
	How they plan to engage non-governmental organisations working for children's rights in formulating a response to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations; and
	How much they have spent on disseminating information about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to (a) children, (b) parents, (c) the children's workforce, and (d) within government, in each of the last five years; and
	How much funding they have provided to non-governmental organisations working for children's rights to promote the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years.

Lord Adonis: The UK Government will seek appropriate dialogues with a range of partners and organisations when considering the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations, including children and young people. This process includes a seminar on 29 July 2008 that the Department for Children, Schools and Families is jointly hosting with UNICEF UK and Get Ready for Geneva. The seminar will look at the issues raised in Get Ready for Genevas children and young peoples report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and consider how they can be addressed. The seminar will be attended by children and young people, representatives from non-governmental organisations working for children's rights, the Minister for Children, Young People and Families and officials from across the Government.
	It would be at disproportionate cost to disaggregate the full funding spent on activities related to UNCRC over the past five years. However, in England, funding for events, communications and publications solely on UNCRC in 2006-07 was a total of £107,397, and in 2007-08 it was £61,839. There are a wide range of other participatory activities funded by the Government which will have related to UNCRC, but we are not able to disaggregate these to set out the precise spend on the convention.
	In addition, the Government have, through the children, young people and families grant programme, provided £181,000 in 2007-08 and £178,000 in 2008-09 to UNICEF UK for an expansion and independent evaluation of its Rights Respecting Schools Award scheme. A further £162,000 has been awarded to UNICEF UK through the grant for 2009-10. The department also provided the British Institute of Human Rights with £24,912 to expand the Right Hear, Right Now key stage 3 human rights teaching resource to include specific lesson plans for understanding and applying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The resource was formally launched in July 2008.
	Funding to key partners in Scotland who undertake activities on UNCRC is as follows:
	
		
			  Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights Article 12 in Scotland Children's Parliament 
			 2004-05 £0 £12,500 £0 
			 2005-06 £2,400 £50,000 £73,100 
			 2006-07 £18,000 £51,250 £74,928 
			 2007-08 £13,800 £53,813 £121,660 
			 2008-09 £24,000 £55,475 £93,660

Children's Commissioner

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they will engage the childrens commissioners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in formulating their response to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations.

Lord Adonis: Ministers and officials have a regular dialogue with their respective commissioners on a broad range of issues and this has included formal consultation with the four UK children's commissioners during the preparation of the UK Government's consolidated third and fourth reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child submitted in 2007. The UK Government and devolved Administrations will seek dialogues with a range of organisations, including the respective childrens commissioners, when considering the UN Committee on the Rights of the Childs concluding observations.

Economy

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they forecast the economy to improve or worsen over the next year.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government last published forecasts for the UK and world economies in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2008 (HC 388) on 12 March. They will update these forecasts in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report in the autumn as normal.

Government: Refurbishment of Buildings

Lord Howarth of Newport: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the total public expenditure on (a) procurement of buildings and (b) refurbishment of buildings by central government departments, other public sector bodies, bodies contracted to the public sector and local government in each year since 1997-98; and what are the planned totals for these areas of public expenditure for each of the years covered by the latest Comprehensive Spending Review.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Information on public sector expenditure is not available centrally at this level of detail, so could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	However, total public sector expenditure on fixed assets (net of sales) is published in table 5.3 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, the latest edition of which is available in both the Library of the House and online at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/finance_spending_statistics/pes_publications/pespub_pesa08.cfm.
	Additional detail is available in departmental resource accounts.

Inflation

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they forecast that inflation will stay below 5 per cent over the next year.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government last published forecasts for inflation in the UK and G7 group of economies in the Financial Statement and BudgetReport 2008 (HC 388). They will update these forecasts in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report in the autumn as normal.

Justice: Children and Young People

The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When their response to the child evidence review consultation will be published.

Lord Adonis: A final report of findings, conclusions and recommendations of the independent review into child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) will be published in autumn 2008. A response to the final report will be published simultaneously or as soon as possible after the final report.
	The independent review of CAMHS is investigating how mainstream, universal, targeted and specialist services can play a more effective role in promoting the emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people and their families. The review will look at what practical solutions those developing policy and delivering, managing and commissioning services can use to address current challenges and deliver better outcomes for children and young people with mental health problems, and how these solutions can be monitored.
	An interim report of the independent review of CAMHS will be published at the end of July. The main aim of the interim report is to present the key themes that have emerged from the evidence gathered since the launch of the review in December 2007 for comment before final recommendations are made.

Pay Settlements

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How they intend to ensure that low earners such as municipal refuse collectors do not, during the current economic circumstances, have imposed on them low percentage wage settlements in contrast to bonus-earning and high-salaried surgeons.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Government pay policy is that pay awards should reflect the need to recruit, retain and motivate the workforce, be affordable, provide value for money for the taxpayer and be consistent with achievement of the Governments inflation target. This means that pay awards should be considered on a workforce-by-workforce basis based on the evidence.

Qualifications

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What data they have on the "reasonable adjustments" made under the arrangements described in paragraph 14 of the criteria for the accreditation of external qualifications, published in 2004.

Lord Adonis: Ofqual, the regulator of external qualifications in England, collects data on reasonable adjustments. The data are published annually in the Performance of Awarding Bodies for General Qualifications report, which is available online at http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/476.aspx.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they have not placed orders for 317 of the 1,300 new vehicles promised in the High Level Output Statement, in the light of the fact that most train operating companies are reported as being short of rolling stock to meet current passenger demands.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: In January 2008, the Department for Transport published a Rolling Stock Plan setting out in more detail how additional capacity would be delivered. The plan set out emerging thinking on how 1,300 additional vehicles, whether new or cascaded, might be deployed by the train operators. The plan also noted that, wherever possible, train operators would lead on rolling stock procurement.
	Since the summer of last year, train operators have placed orders for 317 new railway carriages.
	The department continues to work very closely with train operators to deliver the remaining vehicles.

Railways: St Pancras Train Shed

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 applies in respect of the St Pancras train shed; and, if not, whether Section 9 of that Act does.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The St Pancras train shed is a listed building and is therefore subject to provisions in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, including Sections 7 and 9.

Roads: A55

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any progress has been made in talks with the Government of the Republic of Ireland about breaches of road safety law being detected on the A55 in north Wales.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department of Transport's Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) routinely reports all breaches of road safety law to the Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA) for follow-up action. VOSA has also recently seconded a senior member of its staff to the RSA to help focus attention on non-compliant operators, and to advise on appropriate and effective enforcement action.

Roads: Young People

The Earl of Dundee: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What are the educational initiatives targeted at 14 to 18 year-old road users within each local highway authority area in 2006-07 and 2007-08; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the initiatives in connection with young road users.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Reducing accidents involving 14 to 18 year-old road users is a key issue for the department. Currently a variety of organisations, including the department, the Driving Standards Agency, local authorities, schools, the police and fire services, and voluntary bodies provide educational initiatives aimed at improving the safety of young people on Britains roads. No central record of initiatives or activities is maintained.
	The department believes there is considerable variability in the nature, quality, content and provision of these road safety education initiatives aimed at young people. In 2007, the department published the results from a one-off survey of pre-driver education provision in local authorities and other organisations in 2006-07. This survey, available at www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme2/predrivereducationsurvey.pdf found that a number of pre-driver education initiatives had not been evaluated. The department also published a review of the literature on the effectiveness of pre-driver education, available at www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme2/predrivereducation.pdf. The research found that generally there was limited evidence of the effectiveness of pre-driver education.
	In order to develop a strategic framework for road safety education for children and young people, the department has recently commissioned a project to review existing materials and then produce a comprehensive set of road safety educational material. It is intended that these resources will cover everything from the time young people first start using the roads to becoming drivers, for all age groups.

Roads: Young People

The Earl of Dundee: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What plans they have to include any evaluation in the current road safety programme of the Department for Transport in connection with young road users.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport is developing a new road safety strategy for Great Britain, for the period beyond 2010. In that context, the department is considering how current policies impact upon young road users.
	The department has also engaged EdComsa marketing company specialising in the education fieldto develop over three years a comprehensive set of educational materials to reflect the needs of different age groups.
	Also relevant is the Driving Standards Agencys current consultation on the reform of driver training and testing. This includes a proposal to introduce a pre-driver qualification in safe-road use which would be suitable for all road users (http://learningtodrive.dsa.gov.uk/pages/home). The consultation runs until 8 September 2008.

Schools: Educational Psychologists

Lord Bradley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many (a) fully qualified and (b) trainee educational psychologists the relevant local authority employs in each of the 10 districts of Greater Manchester.

Lord Adonis: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of educational psychologists employed in the local authority maintained sector in each of the 10 local authorities of the Greater Manchester metropolitan area in January 2007.
	
		
			 Full-time equivalent educational psychologists employed in local authority maintained schools1. Year: 2007. 
			 Greater Manchester local authorities FTE educational psychologists 
			 Bolton 9.6 
			 Bury 7.6 
			 Manchester 19.8 
			 Oldham 9.8 
			 Rochdale 8 
			 Salford 12.6 
			 Stockport 14.5 
			 Tameside 12.3 
			 Trafford 8.6 
			 Wigan 12.2 
			 Total Greater Manchester 115.0 
			 TOTAL ENGLAND 2,179.9 
			 Source: The annual survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, 618g. 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Includes those on secondment for initial and in-service training

Airports: Passport Queues

Baroness Valentine: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 16 June (WA 121-22), whether they will place in the Library of the House the records on which his reply was based.

Lord West of Spithead: Queue measurements are taken on three separate days during the reporting week, which runs from Saturday to Friday. Each port measures a minimum number of queues, depending on its size, the number of passengers it receives and the number of staff operating the passenger controls. Measurements are taken throughout the day in order to produce data which cover the quiet, busy and peak times. The average queuing times are calculated by adding together the total number of queue measurements and then taking the mean average of these measurements.
	The records on which this reply was based form part of locally held management information for individual ports and as such are not for publication.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House an anonymised copy of the letter from the Nepalese Ministry of Home Affairs (Ref: 064/65, Dispatch No. 33, dated 12 September 2007) which was submitted by Mr DBG (born in Hong Kong and holder of British overseas citizen passport 752015444) in connection with his successful registration as a British citizen under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981.

Lord West of Spithead: A copy of the letter has now been placed in the Library of the House.

Crime: DNA Database

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people have been found guilty of crimes through use of the DNA database whose details were stored on the database but who had not previously been convicted of a crime.

Lord West of Spithead: Information on the number of people who have been detected and found guilty of crimes through use of DNA subject sample profiles on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) taken from persons with no previous convictions is not collected centrally, as detections are achieved through integrated criminal investigation and not by forensic science alone. Some research information is, however, available on the number of DNA profiles taken from those arrested but not charged and from those arrested and charged but not convicted of an offence that have resulted in a DNA match, thus providing the police with an intelligence link on the possible identity of the offender and assisting in the detection of crimes. In April 2004, an amendment to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 came into effect which enabled the police to take and retain DNA and fingerprints from persons who had been arrested for a recordable offence. In the period April 2004 to December 2005, the retention of DNA profiles of arrested persons who had not been charged or proceeded against had resulted in matches with crime scene profiles from over 3,000 offences including 37 murders, 16 attempted murders and 90 rapes.
	In May 2001, an amendment to PACE 1984 came into effect which enabled the police to retain DNA samples taken from persons who had been charged but not convicted of an offence. In the period May 2001 to December 2005, an estimated 200,000 DNA samples taken from people charged with offences had also been retained on the NDNAD, which would previously have had to be removed because of the absence of a conviction. From these, approximately 8,500 profiles of individuals have been linked with crime scene profiles, involving nearly 14,000 offences. These offences included 114 murders, 55 attempted murders, 116 rapes, 68 sexual offences, 119 aggravated burglaries and 127 of the supply of controlled drugs.

Crime: Knives

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many knives were collected in total under amnesty schemes in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the east of England, and (c) Essex in each of the last five years.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not collect centrally information on knife amnesty initiatives led by local police forces.
	A national knife amnesty, which ran from 24 May 2006 to 30 June 2006, encouraged people to dispose of knives and other weapons in secure bins at police stations throughout England and Wales. A total of 89,964 knives were handed over during the programme, according to figures compiled by forces in England and Wales. A table of returns from each force is attached.
	
		
			 Knife amnesty: total items surrendered 24 May-30 June 2006 
			 Force Domestic Non-Dom Weapons Of Interest Total 
			 Avon Somerset 1,510 634 129 69 2,342 
			 Bedfordshire 503 172 45 42 762 
			 Cambridgeshire 982 188 465 0 1,635 
			 Cheshire 1,241 457 287 55 2,040 
			 City of London 38 0 4 18 60 
			 Cleveland 729 224 159 41 1,153 
			 Cumbria 1,082 146 46 27 1,301 
			 Derbyshire 2,257 91 623 24 2,995 
			 Dorset 1,029 275 186 8 1,498 
			 Durham 593 326 124 19 1,062 
			 Dyfed Powys 470 188 121 14 793 
			 Devon Cornwall 2,626 601 375 150 3,752 
			 Essex 1,517 446 209 51 2,223 
			 Gloucestershire 702 309 50 0 1,061 
			 GMP 1,172 403 276 14 1,865 
			 Gwent 1,263 419 187 67 1,936 
			 Hampshire 3,209 841 529 57 4,636 
			 Herts 1,659 493 20 22 2,194 
			 Humberside 877 152 261 23 1,313 
			 Kent 2,603 704 421 0 3,807 
			 Lancashire 948 389 187 1 1,525 
			 Leicestershire 950 158 62 0 1,170 
			 Lincs 731 422 260 35 1,448 
			 Merseyside 1,142 630 33 0 1,888 
			 Met (i) 0 0 0 0 9,145 
			 Norfolk (ii) [383] [104] [18] [5] 1,723 
			 North Wales 1,152 392 177 10 1,731 
			 North Yorkshire 940 285 346 53 1,624 
			 Northants 1,312 174 140 0 1,626 
			 Northumbria 1,576 667 306 57 2,606 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,086 419 127 17 1,649 
			 South Wales 1,351 505 143 23 2,022 
			 South Yorks 1,143 68 379 42 1,631 
			 Staffordshire 1,200 524 222 64 2,010 
			 Suffolk 975 298 171 0 1,444 
			 Surrey 959 252 89 11 1,311 
			 Sussex 2,479 936 253 89 3,757 
			 Thames Valley 2,475 1,235 620 0 4,330 
			 Warwickshire 494 179 147 36 856 
			 West Mercia 1,523 440 164 0 2,127 
			 West Midlands 1,979 298 510 451 3,238 
			 West Yorkshire 851 332 175 17 1,375 
			 Wiltshire 894 177 120 9 1,200 
			 Totals (iii) 52,222 16,595 9,148 1,658 89,864 
		
	
	(i) MPS has supplied a total-only figure.
	(ii) Breakdown figures for Norfolk relate to items surrendered in first week only.
	(iii) Breakdown figures do not equal final total due to (ii).

Crime: Metal Theft

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking regarding thefts of metal objects from public places, including gully grates in highways, street furniture and from the roofs of schools and other public buildings; and
	What action they are taking to prevent the theft of metal signal cabling from railway lines; and
	Whether they will introduce greater regulation of the scrap metal trade to counter thefts of metal objects; and
	What plans they have to prevent the export of stolen scrap metal.

Lord West of Spithead: We are aware that thefts of valuable metals have been increasing in many parts of the country and we are working closely with the industries affected and the police to develop plans to tackle these crimes. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has set up a metal theft working group chaired by the British Transport Police and with Home Office, other government departments and industry representation to develop a strategic response to tackle this problem.
	The working group strategy is based on ensuring that existing legislation (environmental and criminal) is adhered to by legitimate operators and that police tactics focus on identifying and closing down unlicensed operations in addition to developing a good practice guide for local enforcement and other stakeholders. The ACPO group is to examine closely the extent to which the current provisions under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 are effective and enforced, and assess whether its provisions need to be tightened or replaced.

Government: E-crime

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which departments have been the victims of attempted or actual e-crime in the last five years; and who has access to that data.

Lord West of Spithead: These data are not kept centrally. Crimes are prosecuted on the basis of the offence committed and not the medium used.

Identity

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How much it cost to establish the My Life My ID website; what is the annual cost of maintaining it, including staff time; and how many unique daily visitors it has received on average since its launch.

Lord West of Spithead: The mylifemyid website is a temporary research website that is intended to be live for only three months (from 9 July to 15 Oct 2008). Therefore, there are no annual costs to maintain it. The total cost to establish the website is £45,855 excluding VAT, which includes procurement, setup and agency staff time in maintaining it. IPS staff costs in setting up and maintaining the site equate to an additional £2,644.85 across the life of the website. Over the first five days of the website being live, the average number of unique daily visitors has been approximately 6,000.

Immigration: Age Assessment

Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of applicants for asylum or humanitarian protection the Home Office subjected to age assessment in each of the last five years; and what proportion of them were subsequently found to be aged under 18 at the date of application.

Lord West of Spithead: The available information which relates to the number of asylum applications which are age dispute cases, by year since 2004, is shown in the table.
	Information on the proportion of age dispute cases which were subsequently found to be aged under 18 years at the time of application is not held centrally and could be obtained only through the examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
	A working group made up of representatives of the UK Border Agency, major intake authorities, the Association of Directors of Childrens Services, the medical colleges, the Refugee Childrens Consortium and the Childrens Commissioner for England has been tasked with formulating, before the end of the year, recommendations for improvement of the age assessment process.
	
		
			 Applications(1) received for asylum in the UK, and proportions of applications that are age-disputed, excluding dependants, 2004-2007 
			  2004 2005 2006 (P) 2007 (P) 
			 Applications for asylum received in the UK 33,960 25,710 23,610 23,430 
			 Age-disputed applications made in the UK (2)(3)(4) 2,345 2,425 2,270 1,855 
			 Proportion of applications that are age disputes 7% 9% 10% 8% 
		
	
	(1) Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest five.
	(2) An age dispute case refers to an applicant who claims to be a child, but whose appearance and/or general demeanour strongly suggests that they are 18 or over, and whose age is disputed by the UK Border Agency unless there is credible documentary or other persuasive evidence to demonstrate the age claimed.
	(3) Includes cases for which age disputed at time of application.
	(4) Data may understate cases due to data quality issues.
	(P) Provisional figures.

Immigration: Failed Asylum Seekers

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ensure that failed asylum seekers will not be returned to Zimbabwe, Sudan or Iran before the end of 2008.

Lord West of Spithead: We currently have no plans to enforce the removal of failed asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe but we will continue to help those who want to go home voluntarily.
	We are aware of recent developments in Sudan and have deferred enforcing returns of non-Arab Darfuris to Khartoum. The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal is due to consider a country guidance case on safety of return to Khartoum. A date for the hearing has not yet been scheduled but we expect the hearing to take place before the end of 2008.
	We continue to enforce returns to Iran of those found not to be in need of international protection.

Immigration: Harmondsworth

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of detainees, on average, have remained in Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre pending a removal decision for (a) more than 28 days and (b) more than six months during the last two years for which figures are available.

Lord West of Spithead: The information sought is not available in the format requested and it would be at disproportionate cost to provide it.

Immigration: Returned Asylum Seekers

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have a system to monitor the fate of returning asylum seekers.

Lord West of Spithead: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to him on 30 June and in my letter of 18 June 2008, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Internet: BT and Phorm

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they first became aware of BT's trials of behavioural targeting systems in 2006 and 2007; and what action they took; and
	On what date the Home Office first received enquiries seeking its view of the compatibility of Phorm/121 Media's behavioural targeting service with Part 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; who made those enquiries; what information was requested; and what response the Home Office made; and
	What work was undertaken by the Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism between June 2007 and December 2007 on the legal position of internet advertising systems; and
	Who attended the meeting between Phorm/121 Media and officials from the Home Office in August 2007; what the purpose of the meeting was; what the agenda was; and whether they will place the minutes of the meeting in the Library of the House; and
	What was the message sent by Home Office officials to Phorm/121 Media's legal representative on 7 December 2007; and
	What assessment they have made of the legality of BT's trials of Phorm/121 Media technology; and
	What assessment they have made of the security implications of targeted online advertising and the interception of unencrypted communication for this purpose.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government first learnt of the targeted online advertising trials in April this year. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) have held discussions with BT on this matter. The ICO is monitoring the situation closely.
	The first request from Phorm (or 121 Media) was received in June 2007 asking about the compatibility of targeted online advertising with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Home Office circulated a response dealing with the general issue of targeted online advertising and the compatibility with RIPA in February 2008.
	Between June 2007 and December 2007 a number of requests for information concerning targeted online advertising were received. The issue was also discussed at an informal meeting with one targeted online advertising company. This meeting informed the response given in February 2008.
	The meeting was attended by representatives of Phorm, one policy and one legal Home Office official. This was an informal meeting to improve officials understanding of the ways in which targeted online advertising could be undertaken. There was no agenda and no minutes were taken.
	It would not be appropriate to provide details of that communication to a legal adviser in Phorm as we believe it is subject to legal privilege.
	The Home Office has made no assessment of the legality of BTs trials or any specific targeted online advertising system.
	Online targeted advertising can be provided in a number of different ways, and the security implications of each would need to be considered on an individual basis. The Information Commissioners Office is responsible for overseeing the data privacy issues arising from the use of communications, including those raised by targeted online advertising, and for investigating the security of personal data. The ICO has stated: On the basis of our understanding of the explanation provided to us there does not appear to be any detriment to users in the operation of the Phorm system. But the ICO is keeping the situation under review.

Internet: BT and Phorm

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which United Kingdom authorities have received complaints regarding the interception or surveillance of communications and related traffic data for the purpose of online behaviourally targeted advertising; and which authorities are investigating or have investigated those complaints; and
	Which United Kingdom authorities have received complaints about the trials of Phorm technology by BT in 2006 and 2007; which authorities have investigated or are investigating those complaints; and what conclusions they have reached.

Lord West of Spithead: A number of authorities have received complaints about targeted online advertising and more specifically Phorm, including the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, BERR, Ofcom, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Interception of Communications Commissioner's Office. Additionally, a number of police forces have been contacted with similar complaints. We are not aware of any active investigations.
	BERR, the Ministry of Justice and the Information Commissioner's Office have spoken to British Telecom about its use of targeted online advertising. The ICO is monitoring the situation, in particular with reference to the ease with which customers might exercise their choice to opt in or opt out of any scheme.

Non-emergency Number

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will undertake a cost-benefit analysis of proceeding with national implementation of the 101 non-emergency number; and
	What estimate they have made of the cost of proceeding with national implementation of the 101 non-emergency number.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office has decided not to continue to fund directly the live 101 (single non-emergency number) pilot areas but will continue to provide funding to support the national 101 telephony routing infrastructure to ensure that the number remains available for use by local areas wishing to maintain or develop their own locally funded 101 service. This was a difficult decision taken in the context of significant pressures and competing policing and security priorities.
	We acknowledge the many benefits achieved by the five pilot 101 partnerships and the commitment to improving services that these achievements represent. It is hoped that the lessons learnt about effective partnership working and improved access and quality of service in dealing with community safety issues will be mainstreamed into local operations wherever possible.
	The Home Office has also made available a 101 delivery toolkit which brings together all the work that has been put into 101. The toolkit provides details of the evaluation and lessons learnt from the service to date and gives guidance, example documentation and supporting material to help areas explore, implement and operate the 101 service locally.

Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the responsibilities of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism concerning Part 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Lord West of Spithead: A unit within the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) is responsible for supporting the Home Secretary in her consideration of applications for lawful interception warrants and for issuing notices under Section 12 of RIPA to communications service providers requiring the provision of technical capabilities to facilitate lawful interception. It also sponsors the Technical Advisory Board, an arm's-length body established under Part 1 of RIPA to hear industry concerns about the Section 12 notices.
	The scheme, whereby industry is provided with a fair contribution towards the costs incurred in complying with requirements to support lawful interception, is administered from within OSCT.

People Trafficking: Children

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of levels of co-operation between police services, the UK Border Agency, and local authority social services concerning children thought to have been trafficked into the United Kingdom; and how they will improve such co-operation.

Lord West of Spithead: Local safeguarding children boards are the bodies which co-ordinate all safeguarding activity, including that designed to safeguard children at risk of being, or who have already been, trafficked. Some local and metropolitan authorities have already established trafficking sub-groups to promote best practice in co-operation between agencies. It is at this local level that relevant agencies come together to ensure their work is co-ordinated. The police and local authority children's services are already statutory members of local safeguarding children boards while the UK Border Agency is increasingly playing a proactive role working with LSCBs in key areas.
	Multi-agency guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children who may have been Trafficked, published in 2007, provides guidance to all relevant agencies which may come into contact with a trafficked child.
	The Government's Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, updated on 2 July 2008, provides the framework to ensure that interagency co-operation concerning trafficked children is effective. This includes the development of a national referral mechanism for child victims of trafficking. The plan contains a number of new actions to assist agencies to record cases of child trafficking to ensure they are afforded entitlements as required by the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
	The police, local authorities, local safeguarding children boards, the UK Border Agency and the UK Human Trafficking Centre will all play a significant role in ensuring that the mechanism works effectively and that child victims are identified as early as possible and adequately safeguarded.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many foreign national prisoners are being held in (a) HM prisons and (b) young offender institutions under Immigration Act powers.

Lord West of Spithead: The chief executive of the UK Border Agency wrote a letter to the Home Affairs Committee on 23 July in which she provided the most robust and accurate information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. A copy of the letter is available in the House Library.

Visas

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made in the talks with the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Moldova on the visa facilitation agreement between the European Union and these countries.

Lord West of Spithead: The EU-Moldova and EU-Ukraine visa facilitation agreements were concluded under an element of the Schengen acquis in which the UK does not participate. The agreements do, however, contain provisions recommending that the UK concludes bilateral visa-facilitation agreements. Although the UK is under no formal obligation, we intend to do so. Formal negotiations have yet to commence with either Moldova or Ukraine.

Workers Registration Scheme

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will defer the payment of £90 for those joining the Workers Registration Scheme until the first wage has been received.

Lord West of Spithead: We do not have any plans to allow applicants to defer the payment of £90 to join the Workers Registration Scheme until the first wage has been received.
	Applications for the Workers Registration Scheme can only be made once the worker is in employment. The application should be made at any time within the first 30 days of employment. Some applicants will have already received their first wage within this timeframe.

Afghanistan: Provincial Reconstruction Teams

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made, following the recommendation of the House of Commons International Development Committee, in reaching agreement with the Government of Afghanistan, NATO, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and other donors on exit strategies for provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.

Baroness Crawley: The UK has played a key role in supporting efforts made by the Government of Afghanistan and UNAMA to improve decision-making undertaken on security issues, as well as linking policy decisions on security more fully to those taken on reconstruction and development. This will help in the facilitation of exit strategies in the future for provincial reconstruction teams, on which a public debate has not yet started.
	The UK recently supported a proposal from UNAMA to fold the policy advisory group into the Security Standing Committee of the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board, the institution responsible for monitoring and reporting on progress against the Afghanistan national development strategy. This new structure will remove duplications in discussions and enhance decision-making. The policy advisory group was initially set up in 2006 to provide co-ordinated and consensus-driven policy advice and implementation plans to H.E. President Hamid Karzai to allow his Government to respond quickly and effectively to crises in the four southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabol.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Lord Craig of Radley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether, in light of Command Paper 7424, The Nations Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans, and the representations they have received from service charities, they will retain the existing Pensions Appeal Tribunal for England and Wales as a discrete, separate jurisdiction.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are working in partnership with the service charities fully to take account of the representations they have made and to involve them in agreeing the jurisdictions future in the new two-tier tribunal structure.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Lord Richard: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 16 July (WA 151), whether the Confederation of British Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO), comprising some 100 ex-service organisations, was represented at the meeting held on 20 June by Sir Roger Carnwath of the tribunals judiciary with members of some ex-service organisations to discuss the future of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal; and what representations have been received since that meeting from COBSEO and the Royal Air Forces Association.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The British Limbless Ex-Servicemens Association, the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association, the Royal British Legion, St Dunstans, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association and the War Widows Association of Great Britain were represented at the meeting. These organisations are all members of the Confederation of British Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO). Lord Justice Carnwath, senior president of tribunals, has received no direct representations from COBSEO relating to that meeting. Following that meeting, COBSEO wrote to my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) and she met the chair of COBSEO alongside other representatives on 5 August.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their latest estimate of the annual additional cost of food to the average United Kingdom family which can be attributed to the common agricultural policy.

Lord Rooker: There is no precise definition of family which permits a satisfactory answer to this Question.
	For per person estimates, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 14 July 2008, Official Report, col. WA107.

Community Legal Advice Centres

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What services will be available to persons ineligible for legal aid but seeking advice on representing themselves in (a) Hull, (b) Barking, (c) Cardiff, (d) East Riding, (e) Gloucestershire, (f) Manchester, (g) Stockport, (h) Sunderland, (i) Wakefield, (j) West Sussex and (k) any other local authority areas where a community legal advice centre (CLAC) is established; what effects on the funding of local citizens advice bureaux the establishment of a CLAC will have; and where people needing advice on non-legal matters will go if Citizens Advice is no longer funded to provide it.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Community Legal Advice services (centres and networks) bring together advice services funded by the local authority with those funded by the Legal Services Commission (LSC).
	CLA services are currently established in Gateshead, Derby, Leicester and Portsmouth and are planned for all the areas listed above. The precise services available through centres and networks to non-eligible clients will depend on each local authoritys priorities for their funding. However, every CLA service will provide general help, advice and information that is available to all people regardless of means. Some local authorities may also choose to fund non-means tested specialist advice as part of the service.
	If a citizens advice bureau (CAB) is currently funded by a local authority and/or the LSC, then these sources of funding may be affected by a joint commissioning process. However, a CAB can bid for a CLA centre contract either by itself or in conjunction with other organisations. In addition, some CABs have additional sources of funding and would continue to exist even if they did not win a tender.
	The rationale of joint commissioning is to improve the services available to clients. Services for non-eligible clients may continue but the provider of these services may change. The Community Legal Advice website will continue to provide free information and self-help packs on a number of frequently experienced problems.

Crime: Domestic Violence

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In each of the past three years (a) how many people convicted of domestic violence offences were sentenced to attend programmes aimed at changing abusive behaviour, (b) how many people attended programmes aimed at changing abusive behaviour, and (c) how much funding was dedicated to such programmes.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The table below sets out the number of new community orders or licences with a requirement to attend an accredited domestic violence programme and the number who commenced that programme in the year.
	
		
			 Year Requirements1 Commencements1 
			 2005-06 3,425 2,084 
			 2006-07 6,200 3,635 
			 2007-08 6,479 4,313 
			 1 The data are based on information provided from probation areas and includes those who specifically receive a domestic violence programme, but not those who were convicted of a domestic violence offence who were sentenced to undertake another intervention. 
		
	
	The numbers awaiting to start a programme on a given day during the year will vary depending on the sentences received, the resources available in the area concerned matching demand, the individual's circumstances eg further court appearance, their motivation, other domestic factors, and possibly an assessment as to whether the programme will in effect meet their risks and needs. There is also a lead-in time while offenders prepare for the courses.
	Probation boards meet the cost of delivering accredited programmes through their grant as they see fit to meet their statutory duties. Probation boards' budgeted expenditure on accredited programmes for 2007-08 was £86.5 million. It is not possible accurately to disaggregate the element for accredited domestic violence programmes. The number of offenders undertaking an accredited domestic violence programme has increased and the amount of money spent would therefore increase accordingly.

Crime: Knives

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people were treated for knife injuries in National Health Service hospitals in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Essex in each of the past five years.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The attached note provides information for England only because hospital episode statistics do not provide data for the whole of the United Kingdom.
	We have provided two sets of data for this Parliamentary Question: the code W26contact with a knife, sword or dagger; and the code X99assault by sharp object. The code W26 is used for such diagnoses as accidental knife injuries and should exclude assault and intentional self-harm. The code X99 includes cases where someone has been attacked using a sharp object of some kind (including but not exclusive to knives). Stabbings with knives cannot specifically be identified by the clinical codes available.
	We understand that the intention behind the Question is to clarify how many people were treated in National Health Service hospitals for knife-related assaults and not accidental knife injuries. Therefore, please see the information provided in table on assault by a sharp object. The background analysis is based on this dataset.
	Please be aware that there are two other codes which relate to incidents with sharp objects and which have not been used to answer this Parliamentary Question. They are: Y28contact with sharp object, undetermined intent; and X78intentional self-harm by sharp object.
	The attached table provides data on the number of finished admission episodes for Essex primary care trusts (PCTs). In 2006-07 Essex PCTs merged from 13 into five. This change has been reflected in the attachment. The information provided covers the number of finished admission episodes. This is not the number of patients as a person may be admitted more than once during an episode of care. Please refer to the footnotes and clinical codes when interpreting the data.
	Count of admissions where the external cause code is a knife wound injury* and/or Stab wound** for Essex PCT's of residence and England for 2002-03 to 2006-07.
	NHS Hospitals England and activity performed in the Independent sector in England commissioned by the English NHS
	
		
			 Stab Wound**  
			  2006-07   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  
			  Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop  Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop 
			 England Total 5,720 11.27 England Total 5,496 10.89 5,072 10.12 4,774 9.57 4,275 8.61 
			 Essex PCTs total 94 5.63 Essex PCT's Total 109 6.62 105 6.42 102 6.26 107 6.59 
			 5PW NORTH EAST ESSEX PCT 17 5.39 5AH TENDRING PCT 11 7.87 12 8.61 14 10.09 10 7.25 
			5GM COLCHESTER PCT 10 6.04 7 4.30 11 6.83 * * 
			 5P1 SOUTH EAST ESSEX PCT 29 8.80 5AK SOUTHEND ON SEA PCT 20 12.55 13 8.15 16 9.98 20 12.47 
			5JP CASTLE POINT AND ROCHFORD PCT 6 3.60 6 3.62 * * * * 
			 5PX MID ESSEX PCT 12 3.32 5GL MALDON AND SOUTH CHELMSFORD PCT * * * * * * 7 8.02 
			5JN CHELMSFORD PCT 10 7.84 * * * * 8 6.40 
			TAG WITHAM, BRAINTREE AND HALSTEAD CARE TRUST 7 4.96 * * 7 5.08 8 5.87 
			 5PY SOUTH WEST ESSEX PCT 22 5.67 5GP BILLERICAY, BRENTWOOD AND WICKFORD PCT 8 5.85 9 6.64 * * 6 4.49 
			5GQ THURROCK PCT 13 8.87 9 6.18 16 11.01 11 7.61 
			5GR BASILDON PCT 7 6.91 14 13.85 13 12.80 18 17.64 
			 5PV WEST ESSEX PCT 14 5.09 5GN UTTLESFORD PCT * * 0 0.00 * * 0 0.00 
			5DC HARLOW PCT 6 7.72 8 10.32 * * * * 
			5AJ EPPING FOREST PCT 9 7.38 14 11.54 6 4.95 8 6.60 
		
	
	
		
			 Knife Wound* 
			  2006-07   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  
			  Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop  Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop Admissions Admissions per 100,000 pop 
			 England Total 5,284 10.41  5,321 10.54 4,939 9.86 4,921 9.86 4,805 9.68 
			 Essex PCTs total 195 11.68  225 13.67 222 13.57 210 12.89 216 13.31 
			 PW NORTH EAST ESSEX PCT 28 8.88 5AH TENDRING PCT 12 8.59 8 5.74 14 8 5.80  
			5GM COLCHESTER PCT 17 10.27 12 7.37 16 * *  
			 5P1 SOUTH EAST ESSEX PCT 44 13.35 5AK SOUTHEND ON SEA PCT 32 20.08 29 18.17 22 36 22.44  
			5JP CASTLE POINT AND ROCHFORD PCT 18 10.81 17 10.25 * * *  
			 5PX MID ESSEX PCT 42 11.61 5GL MALDON AND SOUTH CHELMSFORD PCT * * * * * 8 9.17  
			5JN CHELMSFORD PCT 25 19.60 * * * 27 21.60  
			TAG WITHAM, BRAINTREE AND HALSTEAD CARE TRUST 19 13.46 * * 23 20 14.67  
			 5PY SOUTH WEST ESSEX PCT 59 15.19 5GP BILLERICAY, BRENTWOOD AND WICKFORD PCT 17 12.44 17 12.53 * 13 9.74  
			5GQ THURROCK PCT 19 12.96 30 20.59 21 23 15.92  
			5GR BASILDON PCT 16 15.80 25 24.72 18 28 27.44  
			 5PV WEST ESSEX PCT 22 8.00 5GN UTTLESFORD PCT * * 12 16.43 * 7 9.74  
			5DC HARLOW PCT 14 18.02 9 11.61 * * *  
			5AJ EPPING FOREST PCT 11 9.02 14 11.54 15 9 7.42  
		
	
	
		
			 Knife and Stab Wounds 
			  2006-07   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  
			  Admissions Admissions Per 100,000 Pop  Admissions Admissions Per 100,000 Pop Admissions Admissions Per 100,000 Pop Admissions Admissions Per 100,000 Pop Admissions Admissions Per 100,000 Pop 
			 ENGLAND TOTAL 11,004 21.68  10,817 21.43 10,011 19.98 9,695 19.43 9,080 18.29 
			 ESSEX PCTS TOTAL 289 17.31  334 20.29 327 19.99 312 19.15 323 19.90 
			 5PW NORTH EAST ESSEX PCT 45 14.26 5AH TENDRING PCT 23 16.46 20 14.35 28 20.19 18 13.06 
			5GM COLCHESTER PCT 27 16.32 19 11.66 27 16.76 15 9.43 
			 5P1 SOUTH EAST ESSEX PCT 73 22.15 5AK SOUTHEND ON SEA PCT 52 32.64 42 26.32 38 23.71 56 34.91 
			5JP CASTLE POINT AND ROCHFORD PCT 24 14.42 23 13.86 31 18.69 19 11.47 
			 5PX MID ESSEX PCT 54 14.93 5GL MALDON AND SOUTH CHELMSFORD PCT 19 21.46 16 18.24 13 14.87 15 17.19 
			5JN CHELMSFORD PCT 35 27.45 21 16.58 16 12.73 35 28.00 
			TAG WITHAM, BRAINTREE AND HALSTEAD CARE TRUST 26 18.42 25 17.95 30 21.79 28 20.54 
			 5PY SOUTH WEST ESSEX PCT 81 20.86 5GP BILLERICAY, BRENTWOOD AND WICKFORD PCT 25 18.30 26 19.17 19 14.14 19 14.23 
			5GQ THURROCK PCT 32 21.82 39 26.77 37 25.47 34 23.53 
			5GR BASILDON PCT 23 22.72 39 38.57 31 30.53 46 45.08 
			 5PV WEST ESSEX PCT 36 13.10 5GN UTTLESFORD PCT 8 10.87 12 16.43 6 8.26 7 9.74 
			5DC HARLOW PCT 20 25.74 17 21.93 15 19.27 14 17.91 
			5AJ EPPING FOREST PCT 20 16.40 28 23.08 21 17.33 17 14.02 
		
	
	Please refer to the footnotes in your response or the data may be misinterpreted.
	Footnotes
	Finished admission episodes
	A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Cause Code
	The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. The ICD-10 code used to identify knife wound injuries is: *W26contact with a knife, sword or dagger.
	The ICD-10 code used to identify a stab wound is: ** X99assault by a sharp object
	Data Quality
	Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
	Assessing growth through time
	HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series.
	Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity.
	Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.
	Source: hospital episode statistics (HES), the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 16 July (WA 1534), what consideration was given by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to the use of bovine oocytes in assays to assess the potential of human cells for reproductive cloning as described in the paper by Illmensee, Levanduski and Zavos in Fertility and Sterility; to what extent the corresponding authors of this paper were consulted by members of the HFEA; how the level of consultation reflects the HFEAs opinion of the merits of such work; and what consideration was given to previously published studies regarding the potential of comparable cytoplasmic hybrids to develop when implanted in the womb of an animal.

Lord Darzi of Denham: As part of its consultation on hybrid embryos, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) carried out an extensive literature review and consulted several leading scientific institutions. The aim was to gather information on which research groups had already created human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos abroad, and to explore the pre-implantation development of human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos. The HFEA did try to correspond with the authors of the paper quoted but they refused to give any additional information. The HFEA did not review the study in order to assess the potential of human cells for reproductive cloning as reproductive cloning is illegal in the United Kingdom. Also, as it is illegal for a cytoplasmic hybrid to be transferred into the womb of a woman, it was not relevant for the authority to look at published work that may have done this in animals.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 16 July (WA 1545) and 12 May (WA 108), and his definition of human admixed embryos on 15 January (HL Deb, cols. 11824), how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority would establish that animal DNA is not predominant in human admixed embryos prior to licensing their creation and use in research; and to what extent this requirement applies to all human admixed embryos as defined by Section 4A(6) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as proposed to be inserted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill).

Lord Darzi of Denham: It is for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to decide upon criteria for the assessment of the predominance of animal DNA in an admixed embryo. All applications to create and use human admixed embryos would be considered on their merits and the HFEA would have to be satisfied that none of the activities was prohibited, that the activities proposed were necessary or desirable for one of the purposes defined in the Act and that the use of human admixed embryos was necessary for that purpose.
	If the proposed research was to create and use admixed embryos under the provision in Section 4A(6)(e) then the application would have to include the methodology that would be used to create the embryos and an explanation of what proportion of animal DNA would be present, as well as the reasons why creating and using these embryos was necessary. All applications are sent for peer review and the reviewers are asked to give an opinion as to whether the activities proposed were necessary or desirable for one of the purposes defined in the Act and that the use of human embryos was necessary for that purpose.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 16 July (WA 1545), how the hamster test might be viewed as providing a precedent for current licensing by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority of human admixed embryos (in which it is said that the animal DNA is not predominant) if such activities are intended to be governed by separate provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The hamster test was not viewed as providing a precedent when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) considered whether admixed embryos fell under the remit of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The HFEA considered evidence on whether cytoplasmic hybrid human admixed embryos would be human and decided that they would be; therefore, any person creating and using such embryos would require a licence from the HFEA.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 21 April (WA 234), 2 May (WA 10910), 19 June (WA 1778), 24 June (WA 227), 1 July (WA 278) and 16 July (WA 1534), what was the available evidence studied by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in order to establish the intrinsic lack of potential in any embryo cultured on a layer of feeder cells for more than 14 days, if no published data were considered aside from a study describing the ability of mouse embryos to develop contractions resembling a heartbeat after cultivation in vitro.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authoritys scientific and clinical advisory group was asked to consider the various methods of deriving embryonic stem cells from human embryos and whether any of the methods would, potentially, be prohibited under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. This discussion involved the views of and information provided by Dr Daniel Brison and Professor Alan Trounson, leading experts in the field of embryonic stem cells. The view of the group was that none of the methods currently used would be prohibited because entities which form when human embryos are allowed to outgrow their structure are not classed as live human embryos and do not breach Sections 3(3)(a) and 3(4) of the 1990 Act. This is because the entities do not have the organisation structure of a viable embryo and are not representative of a 3D suspended embryo undergoing gastrulationthe stage of development during which the primitive streak emerges.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 19 June (WA 1878), what is the evidence suggesting that the use of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection to generate true hybrids might be required for understanding serious mitochondrial diseases; how such use might be translated towards clinical treatments; who was responsible for proposing this as an application; and whether the use of gametes from different ape species would be precluded; and, if so, how.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Medical Research Council provided briefing containing the view that combining gametes or nuclei from animal and human cells could be useful in exploring the mechanisms by which mitochondrial DNA is activated, including when and how much it replicates and how the genes carried by mitochondrial DNA are regulated, and how nuclear proteins influence this.
	In considering the new provisions in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill relating to the creation of admixed embryos, including the creation of true hybrids, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's (HFEA) scientific and clinical advisory group was asked for views as to what, if any, reasons would scientists wish to create and use these types of embryos. It was suggested to the group that these embryos could, potentially, be used to study mitochondrial disease.
	To date the HFEA has had no queries from scientists about the future creation of true hybrids for this purpose. If the HFEA were to receive an application for the use of gametes from different species, this would have to be considered on its own merits and would be subjected to the usual mandatory scrutiny.
	If a proposed gamete recovery programme involves pain, suffering, distress, or lasting harm to an animal, a licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is required. It is government policy not to allow the use of great apesgorillas, chimpanzees, orangutansin procedures under ASPA.

Health: Alzheimer's

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What consideration they have given to the dementia tax report, published by the Alzheimers Society; and whether they will take any action in response to the report.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department welcomes the Alzheimers Societys report and its focus on improvements in access and quality of care for people with dementia in care homes and their families. In June 2008, we launched a national debate on the future of care and support. Establishing a system of funding for care that is sustainable and fair to service users, their families and those who care for them, as well as the taxpayer, will be an important part of this debate.
	The department is presently consulting on the first ever draft national dementia strategy and implementation plan.

Health: Assessment and Remuneration

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What is the justification for paying a bonus to surgeons for performing their duties effectively; whether they plan reciprocal action where operations are deemed ineffective; and what will be the associated administrative costs of assessment and of any public reporting mechanism.

Lord Darzi of Denham: NHS foundation trusts have the freedom to innovate and to invest in improved care for patients. The report High Quality Care for All welcomed recent initiatives that have seen some NHS foundation trusts share the proceeds of their success with all their staff, from the porter to the senior clinician, and encouraged more to do likewise.
	The report also referred to the Clinical Excellence Awards (CEA) Scheme which was agreed and introduced at the same time as the new consultant contract in 2003. It rewards those consultants who contribute most towards the delivery of safe and high-quality care to patients and to the continuous improvement of NHS services, including those who do so through their contribution to academic medicine. The report announced our intention to strengthen this scheme and to make new awards, and the renewal of existing awards, more conditional on clinical activity and quality indicators. The scheme will continue to operate as at present, but the existing criteria used by local and national awarding committees will be refined to include relevant quality indicators. We have committed to involving the profession in developing and introducing this.

Health: Assessment and Remuneration

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish an effectiveness scale against which surgeons will be assessed for each type of operation; whether there will be a built-in recovery time factor; whether there will be a patient compensation scheme for failure; and if so, to what extent such a scheme could be open to abuse.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Government do not intend to publish an effectiveness scale against which surgeons will be assessed for each type of operation.
	The Government announced in High Quality Care for All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report in June 2008 that:
	The next stage in achieving high quality care, requires us to unlock local innovation and improvement of quality through informationinformation which shows clinical teams where they most need to improve, and which enables them to track the effect of changes they implement.
	An initial set of clinical quality and outcome metrics will be developed for use by NHS acute services in the financial year 2009-10. Some mental health metrics are also being considered for this round. Further indicators will be developed over subsequent years. The indicators primary use will be to guide quality improvement through comparison and benchmarking by clinical teams to facilitate local improvement efforts. The indicators will not be available at the level of individual consultants. Although we will begin with acute services, from next year we will also develop and pilot a quality framework for community services.

Health: Assessment and Remuneration

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they intend to introduce a bonus scheme for all NHS personnel who perform their duties effectively; whether they intend to reduce their basic salaries in line with new potential earnings; and what methodology will be used in calculating bonuses.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Nothing in Agenda for Change would prevent specific bonuses being given to staff if they meet measurable targets and provide fair and equal opportunities for all staff within the organisation to participate. These bonuses are not part of regular pay. It is for the organisations themselves to decide whether bonuses were merited in any particular case.

Health: Bone Marrow

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What further steps they are taking to increase the number of people having blood tests to determine whether they can be bone marrow donors; and whether they will focus such efforts on sixth form colleges and similar institutions.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The National Blood Service (NBS) asks new blood donors about joining the British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR) when they first become a blood donor. In order to increase the number of matches available for patients from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, the NBS has launched the One-Blood campaign, to attract more people from these groups to become blood donors and join the BBMR.
	To ensure young people understand the importance of donation of blood, organs, tissue and bone marrow, and to encourage them to become donors in the future, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has developed the Give and Let Live educational pack and website for schools. A revised version of the pack will be sent out in this years autumn term.
	The Department of Health, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and NHSBT are working together to ensure that young people are made aware of the importance of donation. A joint ministerial letter will be sent to all secondary schools, highlighting how donation can be taught within the curriculum and encouraging schools to use the new pack.

Health: Cardiac Problems

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How many people in England and Wales have been diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia in each year of the past five years (a) in total; (b) in each strategic health authority; and (c) in each NHS trust; and
	What plans there are to increase the implantation rate per million people for (a) cardiac resynchronisation therapy, and (b) implantable cardioverter defibrillators to levels recommended by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and
	What plans there are to achieve the target of 700 pacemaker implants per million population included in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance, published in 2005.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The information requested on the number of people diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia is not available centrally.
	The department, in collaboration with the Manchester Heart Centre, has set up a National Heart Rhythm Management Devices Taskforce to consider how it might support and encourage local services to increase their implantation rates. The taskforce also hopes to investigate why there are such large discrepancies between PCT performances in this area. The taskforce issued a guide for commissioners on the use of pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) devices in 2007.
	In 2006, backed by the department and industry funding, the Network Device Survey Group made public the first systematic survey of the National Health Service in England and Wales in respect of its level and equity of heart rhythm management device provision compared to local relative need. The information is provided by primary care trust area. Information has now been collected, and shared with cardiac networks, for 2003 to 2006.
	In 2006, compared with 2005, there was a 9.9 per cent increase in the overall provision of heart rhythm management devices. Although the majority of the increase relates to pacemaker provision, the data also suggest that a greater number of the more sophisticated and complex technologies, like ICDs and CRT devices, are also being implanted. As well as representing the single biggest increase in the 30 years that data have been collected on device provision, the increase is significant as it moves the United Kingdom from a position low in the international rate league table, with lower than average growth to a growth rate higher than the European average.
	2007 data are currently being collected.
	The national information can be found on the Network Device Survey Groups website at: www.devicesurvey.com.

Health: Cardiac Problems

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majestys Government:
	How many people diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia have been treated with (a) cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices, and (b) internal cardioverter defibrillators in each year since the respective National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance was published (1) in total; (2) in each strategic health authority; and (3) in each NHS trust; and
	What the implantation rate for (a) cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices, and (b) implantable cardioverter defibrillators per million population has been in each of the past five years (1) in total; (2) in each strategic health authority; and (3) in each NHS trust.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Centrally available data based on a primary diagnosis of arrhythmia and then the implantation of a heart rhythm device would not pick up all devices implanted. However, a comprehensive survey of the number of devices implanted and implantation rates for each year from 2003 to 2006 has been conducted by the Network Device Survey Group, an organisation funded by the department.
	Its latest report can be found at: www.devicesurvey.com

Health: Herbal Products

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the statutory registration of herbal medicine practitioners will take effect; and how this will affect the sale of Chinese herbal patent remedies.

Lord Darzi of Denham: A decision on whether statutorily to regulate herbal medicine practitioners has not yet been made. The health departments intend to consult publicly later this summer on the recommendations made in Professor Pittilos report: Report to Ministers from the Department of Health Steering Group on the Statutory Regulation of Practitioners of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Other Traditional Medicine Systems Practised in the UK, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	Ministers, together with the devolved Administrations, will consider the report and its recommendations in the light of the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course. If a decision is made statutorily to regulate these practitioners, an assessment will be made on the impact of this legislation on the sale of Chinese herbal patent remedies.

Health: Herbal Products

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applications for product registrations under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC) have been received to date by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and in how many of those cases have approvals been given; and
	What assessment they have both made of the regulatory impact of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC), in particular on (a) small and medium-sized specialist manufacturers of herbal remedies, (b) specialist retailers, and (c) consumer choice; and
	What assessment they have made of the numbers of herbal products that have historically been marketed under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968 as medicines exempt from the need for a licence; how many and what percentage of those products they anticipate will need to secure registrations under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC); and what steps they are taking to assist manufacturers with this process; and
	By what date herbal products that have historically been marketed under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968 as medicines exempt from the need for a licence will need to secure registration under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC); and whether they plan to ask the European Union to extend that deadline; and
	What charges are levied by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for processing applications for product registrations under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC) for (a) single ingredient products, and (b) more complex products.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has so far received 38 applications from 14 companies to register products under the traditional herbal registration (THR) scheme. To date, 17 registrations have been granted and the remaining applications are under assessment. On the basis of discussions with individual companies, the MHRA anticipates that the number of applications will continue to rise steadily.
	In its regulatory impact assessment of the THR scheme, the MHRA estimated that typically the costs of registering a product under the scheme could be several tens of thousand pounds but that the figure would vary widely according to specific circumstances, not least depending on whether companies already had systematic quality control systems in place. This assessment has not changed. A steadily expanding THR scheme, alongside the availability of licensed herbal medicines, will offer consumers wide choice of over-the-counter herbal medicines made to assured standards of safety, quality and product information. The likelihood of increased consumer confidence in the standards of products, including the reliability of product information, could also be of benefit to responsible specialist manufacturers and retailers.
	Companies are not required to notify the MHRA of products marketed under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968; therefore no estimates are available in relation to these products. Following the expiry of the transitional period permitted under directive 2004/24/EC, manufactured herbal medicines placed on the market will require either a marketing authorisation or a THR. As now, there will continue to be some herbal products that potentially can be placed on the market either as medicinal products or under other product regulatory regimes depending on their presentation.
	The MHRA continues to provide a range of help to companies aimed at assisting them to progress plans to register products, including holding meetings with companies to discuss the progress of actual or prospective applications under the THR scheme and providing a range of detailed advice via the agencys website.
	From 30 April 2011 no herbal medicine within the scope of directive 2004/24/EC may be placed on the UK market or distributed by way of wholesale dealing without a traditional herbal registration. As now, there will continue to be some herbal products that potentially can be placed on the market either as medicinal products or under other product regulatory regimes depending on their presentation. We have no plans to ask the European Commission to propose legislation extending the deadline in directive 2004/24/EC.
	The current fees for registering applications for products under the traditional herbal registration scheme range from £555 for a single existing ingredient to £7,480 for complex new products. The fees charged by the MHRA are set at a level to reflect fairly the cost related to each activity. These fee levels and costs are reviewed closely every year. This is in line with Treasury guidance.
	MHRA fees for registering herbal products are significantly lower than those levied on pharmaceutical companies for the registration of other medicines. The fees are based on an estimate of the amount of time it takes to undertake each of the activities and the costs of the relevant staff required to undertake these activities. Applications that are more complex take longer to assess and can require staff with more experience to undertake the work. These costs are reflected in the fee charged. The fee of £7,480 for processing applications for registration of complex herbal products containing two or more ingredients not previously assessed by the agency reflects the additional work necessary when assessing ingredients for the first time.

Health: Herbal Products

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applications under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency expects to receive for (a) single ingredient products, and (b) more complex products; and
	What are the principal quality and efficacy tests which must be met by manufacturers submitting products for registration under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC); and, in the case of each such test, what are the costs of compliance assumed in the regulatory impact assessment produced for the directive; and
	What are the requirements under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC) for a qualified person to be employed to authorise the release of herbal products to the market; what purpose is served by those requirements; and what assessment they have made of the costs associated with the requirements for a small manufacturer of specialist herbal remedies; and
	What are the requirements under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC) for the certification of manufacturing premises; what charges are levied by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for inspections associated with such certification; and how many facilities to date have been (a) inspected, and (b) appropriately certified as meeting the necessary standards; and
	What was the outcome of the recent review of the operation of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC) undertaken by the European Commission; what period was covered by the review; and whether they intend to press for the review to be repeated now that the directive is in force.

Lord Darzi of Denham: It is a commercial decision for individual companies whether to apply for a traditional herbal registration (THR) under the provisions flowing from directive 2004/24/EC. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is not in a position to estimate how many applications will be submitted. So far the MHRA has received 38 THR applications, of which 33 are for products containing a single active ingredient and five are for combination products. The MHRA expects that a high proportion of early applications will be for relatively simple products while companies become accustomed to meeting the regulatory requirements of the scheme.
	There is normally no requirement for applicants to submit information on the efficacy of the product under the THR scheme. The quality requirements for herbal medicinal products and traditional herbal medicinal products are set out in detailed guidance documents following consultation with industry. The European Pharmacopoeia also sets out legally binding standards for herbal ingredients as well as excipients used in herbal medicinal products. The purpose of the quality tests is to ensure that the herbal medicinal product is safe for use and has a reproducible quality over its proposed shelf-life. Tests are required to ensure that the correct plant materials are used, free from potentially hazardous contaminants such as pesticide residues, fumigant residues, heavy metals/other toxic elements, mycotoxins, bacteria/fungi. Where herbal extracts are employed tests are required on all materials used, including solvents and reagents used for extraction, to ensure that they are as intended and of acceptable quality. The herbal extract undergoes tests to ensure it is of reproducible quality and that it is free from hazardous levels of, for example, residual solvents, micro-organisms or potential contaminants from the starting plant materials. The finished dosage form is tested to ensure that it contains the declared amount of herbal ingredients and that it will remain of suitable quality throughout the proposed shelf-life.
	In its regulatory impact assessment of the THR scheme the MHRA estimated that typically the overall costs of registering a product under the scheme could be several tens of thousand pounds but that the figure would vary widely according to specific circumstances, not least depending on whether companies already had systematic quality control systems in place. This assessment has not changed.
	European and United Kingdom medicines legislation requires manufacturers and/or importers of registered traditional herbal medicines for human use to hold a manufacturer's licence. It is a condition of such a licence that the holder must have a qualified person (QP). The QP must either meet existing specific educational and vocational requirements or attain status through transitional arrangements. The QP has a personal responsibility for certifying that each batch of registered traditional herbal medicine has undergone the appropriate tests, complies with its registered specification and has been manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practice. The purpose of these requirements is to ensure that a safe quality traditional herbal medicine is placed on the market.
	The directive on traditional herbal medicinal products requires manufacturers of registered herbal medicines to be authorised by the national competent authority. In the UK, the MHRA authorises and inspects manufacturers. The inspection fee is currently £1,496 for a full day and £920 for half a day. Manufacturers must meet certain conditions and employ a QP in order to be authorised. A number of manufacturers were already authorised to manufacture herbal medicines before the directive came into force. Since the implementation of the directive all of the small number of manufacturers who have applied specifically to manufacture registered herbal medicines have been authorised.
	The European Commission launched a public consultation in May 2007 on the review of the operation of directive 2004/24/EC. The consultation included data up to March 2007. It is the European Commission's responsibility to report on the findings of that review and, pending that outcome, we have no present plans to press for an early second review.

Health: Herbal Products

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which herbal products are currently available on the market under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968; and for which of those products an application has been received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for registration under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive (2004/24/EC); and
	How many applications have been made to date for registration of herbal products under the provisions of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive; and
	What estimate the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has made of the number of herbal remedies currently marketed in the United Kingdom under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968; for how many and what percentage of those products an application has been received by the agency for registration under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive; and what will be the legal status of those products for which applications for registration have not been received by the end of the transition period in 2011; and
	What their objectives are in relation to the future availability of popular herbal remedies; and what specific steps they are taking to achieve that objective; and
	When Ministers last visited the facilities of small and medium-sized manufacturers of specialist herbal remedies to discuss the impact on their business of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has so far received 38 applications from 14 companies to register products under the traditional herbal registration (THR) scheme. To date, 17 registrations have been granted and the remaining applications are under assessment. On the basis of discussions with individual companies, the MHRA anticipates that the number of applications will continue to rise steadily.
	Companies are not required to notify the MHRA of products marketed under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968; therefore no estimates are available in relation to these products. Following the expiry of the transitional period permitted under directive 2004/24/EC, manufactured herbal medicines placed on the market will require either a marketing authorisation or a traditional herbal registration. As now, there will continue to be some herbal products that potentially can be placed on the market either as medicinal products or under other product regulatory regimes depending on their presentation.
	The Government's objective in relation to over-the-counter herbal medicines is that the public should have access to a range of herbal medicines made to assured standards of safety and quality and accompanied by systematic information about the safe use of the product. The previous regulatory arrangements for unlicensed herbal remedies marketed under Section 12(2) left companies free to decide whether to meet any standards and put responsible companies, and in particular those with specialist expertise wishing to operate to high standards, at a significant disadvantage. Consumers were unable to tell which products were made to acceptable standards. The MHRA will continue to operate the THR scheme in a proportionate way, in line with the principles of better regulation. Thereby we expect to see a competitive market offering consumers a wide range of licensed and registered herbal medicines.
	Ministers have not visited the facilities of manufacturers to discuss the impact of the directive on traditional herbal medicinal products. However, the MHRA has had well over a hundred meetings with companies, including small and medium-sized businesses, to discuss the progress of actual or prospective applications under the THR scheme.

Health: Herbal Products

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ensure that botanical food supplements containing ingredients for which claims are approved under the provisions of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations can continue to be marketed under food law; and
	What steps they are taking to ensure that the European Food Safety Authority does not introduce disproportionately difficult thresholds for evidence to support health claims submitted for approval under the provisions of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations for botanical ingredients.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations require that the substances for which a claim is made are shown to have a beneficial nutritional or physiological effect and that this is substantiated by generally accepted scientific evidence, taking into account the totality of the available scientific data and by weighing the evidence. The Food Standards Agency for the United Kingdom has ensured that the request to the European Food Safety Authority from the European Commission for independent scientific advice conforms to the requirements of the regulations.

Health: Herbal Products

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What statistics they have collected about the number of specialist manufacturers and distributors of herbal remedies who have ceased trading or intend to cease trading as a result of the impact of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive; and
	What statistics they have collected about the number of specialist retailers of herbal remedies who have ceased trading or intend to cease trading as a result of the impact of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive; and
	What estimate they have made of the costs per product of conducting tests to demonstrate compliance with the key provisions of the European Medicines Agency guidance on applications for registration under the traditional herbal medicinal products directive.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would expect some rationalisation in the manufacturing of herbal medicines reflecting the fact that to carry out this activity safely to systematic standards within a regulated environment requires specialist expertise. It is likely that some manufacturers lacking such specialist expertise may withdraw from the market. However, there is no basis on which to make specific estimates. Feedback to the agency from individual companies suggests that many are still developing their plans for registering products under the traditional herbal registration (THR) scheme. So far 14 companies have submitted applications to register one or more products in the UK under the scheme and we therefore anticipate that there will be a competitive market. It is not possible to estimate the impact of the THR scheme on retailers. One factor is likely to be improved consumer confidence in products made to assured standards.
	The guidelines on the quality of herbal medicinal products prepared by the European Medicines Agency largely reflect good practice identified by the herbal industry. In its regulatory impact assessment of the THR scheme the MHRA estimated that typically the overall costs of registering a product under the scheme could be several tens of thousand pounds but that the figure would vary widely according to specific circumstances, not least depending on whether companies already had systematic quality control systems in place. This assessment has not changed.

Health: Prescribing Data

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	With reference to page 11 of the consultation document issued by the NHS Information Centre on 4 June entitled Wider Release of Prescribing Data Consultation FeedbackDocument, what is meant by the phrase specific NHS purpose.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The phrase specific NHS purpose means that the intended use of the data will be stated at the time of the request for the data and there should be a clear purpose and benefit to the National Health Service.

Health: Prescribing Data

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	With reference to page 4 of the consultation feedback document issued by the NHS Information Centre on 4 June entitled, WiderRelease of Prescribing Data Consultation Feedback Document, what is meant by a party (a) internal to the National Health Service, and (b) external of the National Health Service; and whether a party internal to the National Health Service includes an independent sector organisation providing services to the National Health Service.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Internal to the National Health Service means supply of data to an NHS organisation, which could include NHS trusts and PCTs, or organisations related to the NHS such as the Healthcare Commission, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the National Patient Safety Agency.
	External to the National Health Service means organisations which are not within the NHS family; for example, the pharmaceutical industry.

Health: Prescribing Data

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the consultation document issued by the National Health Service Information Centre on 4 June entitled, Wider Release of Prescribing Data: Consultation Document was not accompanied by an impact assessment; and what plans there are to conduct (a) privacy, (b) equality and (c) other impact assessments.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Legal advice to the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care stated that an impact assessment was not necessary to accompany the document. It is not a requirement, and it was considered to be too early to perform any level of assessment on the proposed project.
	Work on a privacy impact assessment has now commenced and the following are the areas that are being currently assessed:
	impact on stakeholders;information flows;information risk management;technical and operational security issues; anddata quality issues.
	We will be in a position to provide a copy of this impact assessment when it is has been completed.

Health: Radiologists

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What steps they are taking to ensure that there are sufficient consultant radiologists to meet demand for scans and complex imaging as a consequence of the Governments planned extension of the breast screening and colonic screening programmes.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The number of consultant radiologists has increased from 1,473 in 1997 to 2,133 in 2007, an increase of 45 per cent. It is for cancer networks to work in partnership with strategic health authorities, primary care trusts, NHS trusts and postgraduate deaneries to put in place a sustainable process to assess, plan and review their workforce needs and the education and training of all staff linked to local and national priorities for cancer, including cancer screening programmes.

Health: Radiologists

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many (a) breast screening radiologists, and (b) colonic screening radiologists are working in the United Kingdom in the past five years.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The annual National Health Service workforce census does not separately identify the number of breast screening radiologists and colonic screening radiologists employed from the rest of the radiology workforce.
	The department does collect the number of radiologists working in the NHS. The number of consultant radiologists working in the NHS in England over the past five years is shown below.
	The number of consultant radiologists has increased by 273 (14.7 per cent) since 2003.
	
		
			 Table 7a Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) medical and dental consultants (including Directors of Public Health) by specialty group 
			  numbers 
			 England at 30 September 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 
			 Radiology 1,860 1,928 2,058 2,105 2,133

Health: Urology Appliances

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many new categories and sub-categories there are in the June consultation proposed new arrangements under part IX of the drug tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin primary care.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The proposed classification is as follows:
	part IXA7 chapters/ 50 sub-categories/ 95 groups;part IXB36 chapters/ 90 sub-categories/ 132 groups; andpart IXC29 chapters/ 125 sub-categories/ 254 groups
	The classification was determined by two panels: one to review urology appliances listed in part IXA (catheter) and part IXB; the other to review items listed in part IXC. Membership consisted of healthcare professionals, patient and industry association representatives.
	Their work was also subject to expert review by healthcare professionals who were either currently practising within the NHS or could provide proof of extensive professional experience.

Health: Urology Appliances

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they took into account that the weight of a monthly home delivery for intermittent catheters is often in excess of 6 kilograms when developing their consultation document Proposed New Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the Provision of Stoma and Urology Appliancesand Related Servicesin Primary Care.

Lord Darzi of Denham: In the current consultation it is proposed that every dispensing appliance contractor and pharmacy contractor in England should be required to provide the following as part of essential services for items that they supply in the normal course of their business.
	First, home delivery for all items in part IXA (catheter, laryngectomy and tracheostomy), part IXB and part IXC of the drug tariffif so requested by the user. This includes the delivery of intermittent catheters.
	It is also proposed that dispensing appliance contractors and pharmacy contractors should provide, where necessary, a reasonable supply of complimentary wipes and disposal bags for some categories of prescription items in part IXA, part IXB and part IXC. All of these items are listed in annexes C1, C2 and C3.
	It has been proposed that for the provision of these services, dispensing appliance contractors and pharmacy contractors would receive £3.40 for every one of these prescription items dispensed.
	Calculations and underlying assumptions used in arriving at the proposed level of payment are as follows:
	
		
			 Fee component Calculated value Underlying assumptions Source 
			 Delivery cost component 3.08 x 95% = £2.93 Royal Mail postage cost of £3.08 Based on packet tariff (L: over 353mm, W: over 250mm, T: over 25mm) for weight range 751-1000g; first class 
			   95% of Part IXA (catheter, laryngectomy and tracheostomy), Part IXB and Part IXC items require home delivery Based on data from industry; 82% from pharmacy contractors and 93% from PIP Forum survey. Note: Despite the extension of the fee to Part IXA (laryngectomy and tracheostomy) this assumption has not been reviewed from September 2007 due to the very small number of Part IXA laryngectomy and tracheostomy items dispensed. 
			 Complimentary supply cost component £0.17 + £0.29 = £0.46 Cost of disposal bags at £0.17 Based on data from industry, specifically those from INDAC who are deemed to be the most independent purchasers of these items 
			   Cost of disposal wipes at £0.29 Based on data from industry, specifically those from INDAC who are deemed to be the most independent purchasers of these items 
			 Proposed additional dispensing fee £ 2.93 + £ 0.46 = £ 3.39 Part IX Part IXA (catheter, laryngectomy and tracheostomy), Part IXB and Part IXC prescription items 
		
	
	The weight range referred to in the above table was determined using sample data provided by the PPD. These were used to:
	estimate the average weight of an item within a prescription; andestimate the average weight of a prescription, assuming that a prescription has an average of 2.2 items in it.

Immigration: Armed Forces Deserters

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal website lists the tribunal case of BE (Iran) as the current authority on the treatment of an asylum seeker who has deserted the Armed Forces of a state rather than commit an abuse of human rights under orders, without indicating that the Court of Appeal reversed the tribunal decision in BE (Iran) v Secretary of State for the Home Department ([2008] EWCA Civ 540) on 20 May.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Asylum and Immigration Tribunals case law database contains all reported determinations of the tribunal.
	The reported case law database is an important legal research tool and is like any other set of law reports in that it publishes a selection of decisions that were made by the tribunal. The website does not seek to annotate those decisions thereafter. It is an historical record and does not purport to represent current law.
	The significance of a higher court decision that overturns a reported case will be known to the parties in the usual way. It should also be noted that the AIT website contains a disclaimer stating that the inclusion of a determination on the database should not be taken as an indication that it represents the current law.
	UKIAT 00183 been a country guidance case, which it is not, paragraph 18 of the AIT practice directions would have applied. That provides that the tribunal is to maintain a list of current country guidance cases on the AIT website. The tribunal, through its legal research unit, does its best to ensure that when a reported country guidance determination is overturned by the higher courts and is no longer current, an appropriate case note entry is made to the AIT website as soon as is reasonably practicable. The practice directions do not, however, contain a similar requirement for non-country guidance reported determinations.

Israel and Palestine: Gaza Sewage

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the World Health Organisation about discharge of sewage in Gaza and the danger of pollution and infection in the Mediterranean.

Baroness Crawley: The Department for International Development (DfID) monitors the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip closely. Due to fuel shortages, 60 million litres of raw and partially treated sewage flows into the Mediterranean each day and 90 per cent of mains water is polluted.
	The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) leads the water and sanitation sector in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. UNICEF works closely with the coastal and municipalities water utility, the relevant Palestinian body, to address the sewage situation and minimise risks to public health. We remain in regular contact with both. We are also in regular contact with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on general health issues.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Baroness Northover: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to a recent report by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs which claimed that Israel had put in place an additional 41 checkpoints and other physical limitations on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank since September 2007.

Baroness Crawley: Movement and access restrictions have a significant impact on the daily life of ordinary Palestinians. While we understand Israels security concerns, more should be done to ease movement and access restrictions to stimulate economic activity and improve daily life. We welcomed Israeli Defence Minister Baraks announcement in March to remove 50 obstacles. However, of these only five were assessed as significant obstacles by the UN. The Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports in its latest humanitarian monitor that, as of the end of June, the number of physical obstacles and checkpoints was 602.
	We have repeatedly raised our concerns about the continued access restrictions with the Israeli Government in public and in private. We continue to call for the full implementation of the 2005 agreement on movement and access.
	The quartet representative, Tony Blair, is also pressing for movement and access restrictions to be eased. The UK has contributed £400,000 and seconded four members of government staff to his office.

Prison: Knife Crime

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there is sufficient prison accommodation to detain all individuals convicted of knife-related crimes in England and Wales.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government will always ensure that there are sufficient prison places for those offenders whom the courts decide to send to custody, including those given a custodial sentence for an offence involving a knife.

Schools: Educational Psychologists

Lord Bradley: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Whether they support the use of trainee educational psychologists to provide core assessment and consultancy services in schools in England.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Nothing in Agenda for Change, the pay system that covers non-medical NHS employed staff in hospital cleaning teams, would prevent specific bonuses being given to staff if they meet measurable targets and provide fair and equal opportunities for all staff within the organisation to participate. It is for the organisations themselves to decide whether this was merited in any particular case.

Schools: Teachers

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many teacher training institutions are instructing student teachers that they should not touch children in their charge; whether they approve of this advice; and whether such advice is based on any law.

Lord Adonis: Information about the advice teacher training establishments give trainee teachers on physical contact with pupils is not collected centrally. Trainee teachers should not be advised that they should never have any physical contact with pupils because there are circumstances in which physical contact is entirely appropriate; for example, to prevent injury. Advice should be based on the DCSF guidance on use of force to control or restrain pupils, which also includes advice on physical contact in other circumstances. This is available at www.teachernet.qov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=12187.

Smoking

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What areas will be covered by the review on smoke-free legislation in England.

Lord Darzi of Denham: There is a commitment comprehensively to review the impact of smoke-free legislation within three years of its implementation on 1 July 2007.
	The department has just published the report Smoke free EnglandOne Year On, which indicates that in its first year the smoke-free law has received growing public support as well as very high levels of compliance and that it has achieved its objective of reducing exposure to second-hand smoke in enclosed workplaces and public places. This report has already been placed in the Library.

Smoking

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to alter young people's perceptions of the social acceptability of smoking among adults; and
	In the light of the British Medical Association's recent report Forever Cool: The Influence of Smoking Imagery on Young People, what consideration they are giving to limiting pro-smoking imagery in the entertainment media, and to increasing pro-health imagery; and
	Whether they will require all film and television programmes which portray positive images of smoking to be preceded by an anti-smoking advertisement; and
	What consideration they have given to establishing an independent body to develop and deliver a population-wide communications programme promoting anti-smoking messages and imagery.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Reducing smoking among young people is a priority for the Government. Much has already been achieved in this area, including raising the age of sale of tobacco products, legislation to strengthen sanctions available against retailers who persistently sell tobacco to children and young people and smoking is addressed in the national curriculum and through the Healthy Schools Programme.
	Protecting children and young people from smoking is one of four key aspects of the department's Consultation on the Future of Tobacco control published on 31 May 2008. Responses to the consultation will inform the development of a new strategy on tobacco control, which will include action to continue to tackle the uptake of smoking by young people.

Sudan: Oil Revenues

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What mechanisms exist to ensure that oil revenues in Sudan are distributed in accordance with the comprehensive peace agreement.

Baroness Crawley: Under the wealth sharing protocol of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA), a National Petroleum Commission (NPC) has been created to formulate and monitor policies and guidelines for the development of the petroleum sector in Sudan, including the approval of oil exploration and production contracts. The NPC is co-chaired by the presidents of the national Government and the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and contains four permanent members each from the national Government and GOSS and up to three non-permanent members from oil producing states or regions. A separate technical committee comprising of officials from the national Government and GOSS ministries of finance also exists to determine the monthly distribution of oil revenues between the national Government, GOSS and oil producing state governments on a monthly basis, in line with the agreed CPA revenue sharing formulae.
	The CPA assessment and evaluation commission (AEC), which includes members from the National Congress Party (NCP), Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the international community, also monitors progress on overall CPA implementation. The AEC has a wealth sharing group, chaired by the United States Government, which has a specific focus on oil and other CPA wealth sharing issues, and meets regularly.
	While there were some delays in establishing the NPC, and it has met only on a few occasions, the technical committee works well and oil revenue sharing since 2005 has largely been in accordance with the CPA formulae. The main exception has been oil produced in the Abyei region, which lies on the disputed north-south boundary. Revenues from this region have been retained by the national Government and there have been no transfers to GOSS. However, on 8 June 2008, the NCP and SPLM agreed an interim boundary for Abyei which should allow future revenues to be shared in line with the CPA formulae.

Tribunals

Lord Bramall: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When Sir Robert Carnwath's term of office as senior president of tribunals is due to expire.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The right honourable Lord Justice (Robert John Anderson) Carnwath was appointed as senior president of tribunals for three years from 12 November 2007.

Waste Management

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 21 June 2007 (WA 71), which European Union legislation contributed to current waste disposal requirements in the United Kingdom; whether such requirements would be in force in the absence of such legislation, and if so, on what grounds.

Lord Rooker: The Governments Waste Strategy for England, published in May 2007, summarises the Governments waste policies. Chapter 3 of the strategy covers the main legislation on waste disposal requirements and explains that most waste regulation in the UK is derived from EU legislation on waste. The principal EU directives controlling waste disposal are the waste framework directive, which was first adopted in 1975 and which is about to be revised and updated, and the landfill directive, agreed in 1999, which sets targets for the diversion of municipal waste from landfill. There are a number of other directives; for example, on waste incineration and hazardous waste.
	The principal objectives of EU waste legislation, which the Government fully endorse, are that waste be managed in a way that does not harm the environment or endanger human health, and that waste policies should contribute to action against climate change. It is therefore likely that, in the absence of any EU requirements, successive UK Governments would have put similar legislation in place.

West Papua

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they, and international organisations, are taking in respect of West Papua to improve education, to protect the rainforest and to prevent damage from mining and hydrocarbon extraction.

Baroness Crawley: Since 2003, the UK has provided £3 million to improve natural resource management and strengthen local government in Papua. This includes £1 million to Papuan civil society organisations and local government to protect poor communities rights to forests and to monitor illegal logging; and £2 million to strengthen Papuan local government to protect natural resources and improve services.
	The United Nations Development Programme has provided £3 million since 2006 to help Papua meet the millennium development goals.

Afghanistan: Bagram Airbase Prisoners

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether British intelligence officers are involved in the interrogation of prisoners at the United States-controlled Bagram airbase.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: I am withholding the information requested as its release would be prejudicial to national security. Wherever they are deployed, British forces carry out their duties in accordance with UK legal obligations.

Afghanistan: Bagram Airbase Prisoners

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any female prisoners are held alongside the male prisoners at Bagram airbase; and
	What is the identity and nationality of prisoner number 650 at Bagram airbase, known as the grey lady of Bagram; and
	What is their response to the alleged sexual and physical abuse of prison number 650 at Bagram airbase; and whether she is forced to use communal toilet and shower facilities in full view of the guards; and
	Whether there is a psychiatric and medical report on prisoner number 650 at Bagram airbase, known as the grey lady of Bagram; and whether they have made any representations to the Government of the United States in relation to her psychiatric and physical condition.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Bagram airbase is a US facility. We do not have any information on whether male and female prisoners are held together on the airbase; nor do we hold information on the identity, nationality or treatment of any prisoner known as prisoner number 650 or the grey lady of Bagram.
	We have not, therefore, made any representation to the US Government.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement on complex weapons by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58), what material contracts have been entered into in relation to the formation and work of Team CW; and, in respect of each such contract, what are (a) the date of the contract, (b) the parties to that contract, (c) the purpose and subject matter of the contract, and (d), if appropriate, the cost or assigned value of the contract.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Further to my Answer to the noble Lord of 25 July 2008, the two enabling contracts for the assessment phase for complex weapons were entered into with MBDA (UK) Ltd and Thales UK on 27 June 2008. The Team CW teaming agreement between the Ministry of Defence, MBDA (UK) Ltd, Thales UK, Roxel (UK Rocket Motors) Ltd and QinetiQ Ltd was concluded on 4 July 2008. The value of the first year of the assessment phase is some £74 million including VAT. Some £69 million is associated with these three contracts.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement on complex weapons by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58), what steps they are taking to ensure their unfettered access to the source codes for all software used in the projects listed in the Statement; and
	Further to the Written Statement on complex weapons by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58), what provisions have been embodied in arrangements for the work of Team CW to achieve and protect the United Kingdom's sovereign interests, given that shareholdings in the companies in Team CW are substantially in the hands of non-United Kingdom entities.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: In addition to providing effective military capability and value for money, the Team CW concept being tested through the assessment phase is predicated on the delivery of operational sovereignty of future UK weapon systems, including those listed in the Written Statement, in a more sustainable fashion than is expected through other means. Delivery of such operational sovereignty is based on the UK retaining essential sovereign industrial and technical skills onshore, including access to relevant technologies and software.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement on complex weapons by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58), what are the key user requirements of each project assigned to Team CW.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Performance requirements are not set until the completion of the assessment phase. Decisions on key user requirements will therefore be made at the main gate point for the six projects within the complex weapons sector assessment phase. This is not expected to be before 2010-11.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, on how many programmes Team CW will undertake specific concept and assessment work, given that the Statement gives the number as six but includes a list of only five.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The assessment phase will undertake work on six projects to meet five requirements. There are separate projects to cover the heavyweight and lightweight components to meet the future air-to-surface guided weapon requirement.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majestys Government:
	Further to the Written Statement on complex weapons by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58), how the teaming agreement by the Ministry of Defence with Team CW will feature in the Ministry's annual audited accounts; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, what liabilities, actual and contingent, they are accepting as a result of the Ministry of Defence concluding a teaming arrangement with Team CW.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The teaming agreement is a means to establish the governance arrangements for the complex weapons assessment phase which will allow this innovative approach to be effectively managed. Other than agreement to use the governance arrangements, the teaming agreement has no actual or contingent liabilities on the participants, including the Ministry of Defence. The teaming agreement is of nominal contractual value only. It will not therefore be separately identified in the MoD's annual audited accounts.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement on complex weapons by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58), who the senior responsible owner is for each of the five projects listed in the Statement; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, who is the individual accountable for each of the five projects listed in the Statement; and
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, how the arrangements with Team CW will be related to and integrated with normal arrangements for integrated project teams for each project listed.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The six complex weapons assessment phase projects are being taken forward within the normal accountability framework used by the Ministry of Defence and Defence Equipment and Support. For industry, the company managing directors are accountable on behalf of their shareholders. Linking with existing governance arrangements, the six projects will benefit from the use of joint management teams that are specific to each project and comprise individuals from both the Ministry of Defence and the Team CW industry.
	Building on the interim arrangements that have been established under the teaming agreement, the Team CW governance arrangements will be developed further during the assessment phase. This will include work to finalise the best structure for overseeing and managing individual projects and the sector as a whole in a way that is consistent with this innovative way of working. Such work will assess the potential role of a senior responsible owner for weapons.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, who are the present shareholders and directors of Roxel (UK Rocket Motors) Ltd.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: This is a matter for Roxel (UK Rocket Motors) Ltd. Company information can be found on its website at www.roxelgroup.com.

Channel Islands: Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive is required to be implemented by the Governments of the Channel Islands under the provisions of protocol 3 of the treaty.

Baroness Vadera: No. Article 299.6(c) of the EU treaty specifies that the treaty only applies to the Channel Islands to the extent necessary to ensure the implementation of the arrangements for those islands set out in the UK accession treaty. These are contained in protocol 3 to that treaty, the effect of which is that the Channel Islands are within the common customs area and the common external tariff of the EU and are subject to certain provisions of Community rules on the free movement of goods and competition in agricultural trade.

E-Privacy and Data Protection

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which bodies act as the competent national authorities for the enforcement of the e-privacy and data protection directives; and for which articles of those directives they have responsibility.

Baroness Vadera: The main national supervisory authority for the enforcement of the e-privacy and data protection directives is the Information Commissioner.
	The UK implemented the data protection directive 95/46/EC through the Data Protection Act 1998. The UK transposed most of the requirements of the e-privacy directive 2002/58/EC by the introduction of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 which came into force on 11 December 2003. The regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 September 2003 by means of Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 2426.
	The data protection powers of the Information Commissioner's Office are to:
	conduct assessments to check organisations are complying with the Data Protection Act;serve information notices requiring organisations to provide the Information Commissioner's Office with specified information within a certain time period;serve enforcement notices and stop now orders where there has been a breach of the Data Protection Act, requiring organisations to take (or refrain from taking) specified steps in order to ensure they comply with the law;prosecute those who commit criminal offences under the Data Protection Act;conduct audits with the consent of organisations to assess whether their processing of personal data follows good practice; andreport to Parliament on data protection issues of concern.
	Appeals from notices are heard by the Information Tribunal, an independent body set up specifically to hear cases concerning enforcement notices or decision notices issued by the Information Commissioner.
	The requirements under Article 5(l) of the e-privacy directive are satisfied by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The interception of communications without lawful authority is made a criminal offence under that Act. For the purpose of the e-privacy directive the police are competent enforcement bodies.

Government: Mail Delivery

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and its predecessors spent on non-Royal Mail delivery and courier services in each of the past five years.

Baroness Vadera: In the past five financial years, BERR and its predecessor have spent the following on non-Royal Mail delivery and courier services:
	2003-04 - £520,975
	2004-05 - £672,510
	2005-06 - £501,835
	2006-07 - £477,975
	2007-08 - £425,505.

Ofcom

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of Ofcom's income is provided by BT and its subsidiary companies.

Baroness Vadera: The noble Lord will be aware that Ofcom has previously declined requests for the information that he has requested. Since then, however, Ofcom has amended the statement in the tariff table on the publication of the breakdown by individual operators so that these remain confidential if they are deemed to be commercially sensitive. Given that BT's tariff is based on published information from the last financial year, I am pleased to provide the following information.
	BT's network and services charge for 2008-09 is £10,149,579. This represents 7.4 per cent of Ofcom's total income (£136,469,332) to be charged this year and 36 per cent of the total charges levied on the networks and services sector.
	The income is higher than Ofcom's expenditure budget of £133.7 million due to the collection of costs from prior years which are known only on completion of the audit of Ofcom's annual accounts.

Petrol

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they have taken to encourage competition in the price of petrol between supermarkets.

Baroness Vadera: The Government believe that the consumer is best served by the operation of open competition between companies and are committed to the operation of free open markets. The supply of transport fuels is a commercial matter that is subject to UK competition law under the Competition Act 1998. The regulation of the supply of transport fuels to consumers is therefore the responsibility of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The OFT has powers to investigate allegations of anti-competitive agreements and the abuse of a dominant market position in the fuel market.

Prisoners: Women

Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many women prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection in Bullwood Hall and Cookham Wood prisons have had their access to the courses necessary in order to apply to the Parole Board for release postponed because the prisons in question have become prisons for men; and for how long the women involved had to wait for those courses.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I am unable to provide a precise Answer to this Question. The relevant information is not held centrally. Examination of each individual prisoner's record would involve significant disproportionate cost and would still not necessarily establish whether the change of function of the prisons was the cause of any delay in accessing offending behaviour courses.
	However, as Bullwood Hall and Cookham Wood were in the process of becoming prisons for men, the offending behaviour needs of each prisoner were considered on an individual basis. The aim was not to move any women undergoing accredited programmes or interventions until they had completed them. There was difficulty with the Choices, Actions, Relationships and Emotions (CARE) programme as at that time Cookham Wood was the only prison delivering it. This programme is now provided at Downview.

Regional Development Agencies

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majestys Government:
	What was the combined budget of all regional development agencies in each year since 1998.

Baroness Vadera: The regional development agencies total grant-in-aid budgets from 1999-2000 to 2008-09 are set out in the table below:
	
		
			 Year RDAs Total Grant-in-Aid Budget (£m) 
			 1999-2000 634 
			 2000-01 965 
			 2001-02 1,365 
			 2002-03 1,581 
			 2003-04 1,765 
			 2004-05 1,857 
			 2005-06 2,216 
			 2006-07 2,328 
			 2007-08 2,267 
			 2008-09 2,219

Gulf War Veterans

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 12 December 2007 (WA 5455) and Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 4 June (WA 58) about the handling of the case of Gulf War veteran the late Mr T E Walker, what further information they have on the inquest into his death and its outcome.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Newcastle-upon-Tyne coroner is conducting the inquest into Mr Walker's death. He adjourned the inquest in December 2007 at the request of Mr Walkers parents solicitors, so that he could receive and consider further representations about its scope. We understand that the coroner is still waiting for the representations from the solicitors and he has recently written to them to clarify the position. The coroner will decide when to resume the inquest in the light of the response received.

House of Lords: Appointments

Lord Morris of Aberavon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements will apply to the appointment of new Peers following the recent White Paper on House of Lords reform; whether any guidance has been given to the House of Lords Appointments Commission; and, if so, what the content of that guidance is.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government do not intend to bring forward legislation on House of Lords reform before the next general election. The White Paper sets out options and proposals for a wholly or mainly elected second Chamber. At this stage, it is not clear whether there will be appointments to a reformed Chamber.
	No new guidance has been issued to the House of Lords Appointments Commission following the publication of the White Paper.

Internet: BT and Phorm

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What communications they have received from the European Commission regarding users' complaints about the trials of Phorm technologies by BT in 2006 and 2007 and the planned future deployment of Phorm technologies.

Baroness Vadera: Her Majesty's Government have received a letter on this subject from the European Commission's Information Society and Media Directorate dated 3 July 2008. The Government are currently developing their response.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 June (WA 176), whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland will switch to a target based on the number of burglaries resulting in a conviction rather than the number of burglaries; and why there were 20 burglars convicted when 1,100 burglaries were recorded in south Belfast in 2006.

Lord Rooker: At present the Policing Board has no plans to switch to a target based on the number of burglaries resulting in a conviction within the Annual Policing Plan.
	The chief constable has provided the following additional information. The 20 burglary convictions for 2006 for south Belfast is low in comparison to the number of recorded burglaries; however this reflects the fact that the majority of burglary offences are committed by a disproportionately small number of offenders.

Post Offices

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 21 June 2007 (WA 71), which stated that the closure of Post Offices in the United Kingdom did not result from European Union law, took account of (a) EU Directive 97/67/EC which required the privatisation of mail weighing over 350 grams, and the subsequent 2002 EU Directive which reduced the Royal Mail's monopoly to items below 50 grams; and (b) the communication from the European Commission dated 28 November 2007 to Her Majesty's Government which stated that the transformation programme will involve POL (Post Office limited) reducing the size of its post office network by around 2,500 branches.

Baroness Vadera: Lord Rooker's Written Answer on 21 June 2007 (WA71) took account of the fact that European Postal Services Directives 97/67/EC and 2002.39.EC mandated respectively the liberalisation of mail over 350 grammes and the reduction of the monopoly of universal service providers to 50 grammes.
	It clearly could not have taken account of a letter from the European Commission dated 28 November 2007. That letter, however, gave the Commission's confirmation of the state aid clearance sought by Her Majesty's Government in respect of the Government's policy of reducing the size of the post office network by the compensated closure of up to 2,500 branches.

Prisoners: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What different levels of sentence and associated arrangements are currently available to prisoners in Northern Ireland.

Lord Rooker: A full range of prison sentences are available to Northern Ireland courts. They include:
	life sentence and detention at the Secretary of State's pleasure;the indeterminate and extended custodial sentences;the standard custodial sentence;the custody probation order; andthe sex offender licence disposal.
	For young offenders aged 16 but under 21 detention in a young offenders centre replaces imprisonment and the juvenile justice centre order is available for those aged 10 and under 18 years of age.

Rural Areas: Telephones

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions Ministers and officials have had with BT regarding proposals to close rural telephone boxes.

Baroness Vadera: Ministers have not had specific discussions with BT about this matter. However, in April BERR, Defra and CLG officials met with BT to discuss their national rationalisation programme for the removal of up to 8,700 BT call boxes that are under consultation with local authorities across the UK. Any removal of a payphone box is carried out in strict adherence to Ofcom guidelines. If a local veto is exercised by the relevant local authority, BT is not permitted to remove the payphone. This is in accordance with Ofcom's guidance note about the payphone removal programme. Further details are available from Ofcom's website at:
	http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/uso/uso_statement/uso_plain_english/

Sudan: Oil Revenues

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What development has taken place in South Sudan using oil revenues agreed under the comprehensive peace agreement.

Baroness Crawley: Over 2005-07, the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) received US$ 3.3 billion in oil revenue transfers from the National Government of Sudan and these transfers accounted for over 99 per cent of total GOSS revenue over this period. GOSS have spent US$ 1.16 billion (35 per cent) of these oil revenue transfers on the Sudan People's Liberation Army and other security expenditures. Of the remaining 65 per cent of oil revenues, 81 per cent was spent on public sector salaries and operating costs and 19 per cent on development expenditures.
	While Southern Sudan has spent the bulk of its oil revenues on security and establishing government institutions, there have been some notable developments financed by oil revenues and donor aid, which include:
	393 new school classrooms have been built and 14,000 additional primary and secondary school teachers have been recruited. This has helped to increase primary school enrolment from 300,000 in 2005 to over a million today.Five major hospitals have been rehabilitated.The number of anti-malarial bed nets issued has increased from 253,000 in 2005 to about 1 million today.75 per cent of all children under 15 have been vaccinated against measles.6,000 km of roads have been de-mined and 2,200 km of roads rehabilitated since 2004. 2,000 people have been trained in basic veterinary services.Since 2005, 1,400 new water points have been constructed and 2,000 boreholes renovated.

Agriculture: Bluetongue

Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in view of the losses borne by the sheep industry during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2007 caused by a leak from a government research centre at Pirbright, they will pay for vaccination used during the current bluetongue epidemic, as the Government of France are.

Lord Rooker: The vaccination programme aims to achieve mass vaccination through a voluntary programme, supported by an industry-led campaign promoting the importance of vaccination.
	Bluetongue can primarily be viewed as an animal welfare and economic problem, and individual farmers can best protect themselves against welfare and economic difficulties by vaccinating their livestock. The Government have provided support by underwriting the vaccine ordered for use in England and Wales with the proviso that this cost is recovered as vaccine is used.

Alcohol

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they will take in response to the recommendations in the KPMG report, Review of the Social Responsibility Standards for the production and sale of Alcoholic Drinks.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government published the KPMG review of the alcohol industry's social responsibility standards on 21 July 2008. On 22 July, the Department of Health launched a consultation seeking the views of the public, consumer groups, alcohol producers and retailers, as well as health and other professionals on an effective way to tackle the harm that alcohol and its misuse causes to society and individuals within England. The consultation closes on 14 October and can be accessed via the link below.
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_086412
	The Government will consider the responses to the consultation before taking a decision on what action to take in order to combat alcohol related harm. We are now seeking views on whether the alcohol industry's voluntary code should be revised and made mandatory. We are also seeking views on how a mandatory code might be made effective in tackling alcohol harms.

Armed Forces: Awards

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the new system for honouring troops killed on operations will come into effect; under what criteria awards will be made; and which members of a service person's family will be entitled to wear an emblem.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Written Ministerial Statement on 10 June 2008 (Official Report, column WS39) made it clear that much detailed work would be required to consider a number of issues relating to the military Chiefs of Staff recommendation that there be additional recognition for the families of those service personnel who die on operations or as a result of terrorist action while on duty. That work includes what the criteria for this additional recognition should be and who will receive it. An implementation team is working on these details and I expect to be in a position to provide further information on its conclusions later in the year.

Armed Forces: Bearskin Caps

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What evaluation they have commissioned, by whom, when and with what results, into the use of synthetic alternatives for the Canadian black bear fur used in the ceremonial headwear of the Household Division's five Foot Guards regiments.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Ministry of Defence has been involved in the search for a synthetic alternative to black bear fur for a number of years. In the last decade a number of sample materials from a variety of sources have been assessed for their suitability. Only one of these samples, provided by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals in 2005, was thought sufficiently promising to be subjected to a full-scale evaluation by the Household Division. After extensive trials it was concluded that the material was unsuitable in a number of respects, not least for its inability to retain its shape when wet.
	We remain committed to the search for a suitable faux fur alternative to bearskin. To this end, we are planning an industry briefing day on 23 October to discuss the feasibility of mounting a competition to develop and produce a synthetic cap to the current design using material that matches the performance characteristics of black bear fur.

Armed Forces: Bearskin Caps

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the present cost of providing ceremonial headwear made of Canadian black bear fur for the Household Division's five Foot Guards regiments; what was the cost five and 10 years ago; and how many such helmets were ordered five and 10 years ago and in the most recent year for which records exist.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The annual cost of providing ceremonial caps for the Foot Guards varies depending on the number of caps required to be purchased and/or refurbished. The numbers of new bearskin caps ordered in years for which information is available are shown in the table below, together with associated costs.
	
		
			 Year Quantity Ordered Cost 
			 2001 63 £31,311 
			 2002 179 £92,364 
			 2003 90 £55,620 
			 2004 111 £61,938 
			 2005 51 £35,445 
			 2006 103 £77,765 
			 2007 12 £ 10,737 
			 2008 Nil Nil 
		
	
	No central records are held of the cost of the number of caps refurbished over this period.

Armed Forces: Bearskin Caps

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they purchase Canadian black bear fur for purposes other than for the provision of headwear for the Household Division's five Foot Guards regiments; if so, in what quantities; for which purposes; and at what cost five and 10 years ago and in the most recent year for which records exist.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Black bear fur is used in no other products procured by the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What complex weapons are in service with the Armed Forces.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: As set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy White Paper (Cm 6697) published on 15 December 2005, complex weapons are defined as strategic and tactical weapons reliant on guidance systems to achieve precision effects.
	Tactical complex weapons fall largely into five categories: Air-to-Air; Air Defence; Air-to-Surface; Anti-Ship/Submarine (including torpedoes); and Surface-to-Surface. Those tactical complex weapons currently in service with UK Armed Forces are as follows.
	Air-to-Air
	AIM 9 (Sidewinder) short-range missile
	Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM)
	AIM 120B and AIM 120C-5 variants of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)
	Air Defence (including maritime)
	Sea Dart maritime air defence missile
	Seawolf maritime point defence missile
	Rapier Field Standard C (FSC) low-level air defence missile
	High Velocity Missile (commercially known as Starstreak), a very short-range air defence weapon
	Air-to Surface
	Hellfire radio frequency or laser-guided missile
	Maverick anti-armour missile
	Storm Shadow (Conventionally Armed Stand-Off Missile (CASOM)) long-range missile
	Paveway II (Laser), Enhanced Paveway II (Laser/GPS) and Enhanced Paveway II+ (Laser/GPS) 1,000 lb precision-guided bomb
	Paveway III (Laser) and Enhanced Paveway III (Laser/GPS) 2,000 lb precision-guided bomb
	Brimstone air-launched anti-armour weapon
	Air-Launched Anti-Radiation Missile (ALARM), a medium-range anti-radar missile
	Anti-Ship and/or anti-submarine
	Harpoon long-range anti-ship missile
	Sting Ray Mod 1 lightweight anti-submarine torpedo Spearfish heavyweight anti-ship and anti-submarine torpedo Sea Skua short-range anti-ship missile
	Surface-to-Surface
	Guided Multi-Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) unitary missile
	Javelin Light Forces Anti-Tank Guided Weapon (LF ATGW), a man-portable medium-range anti-armour missile
	Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile (TLAM), a land-attack capability against high-value non-hardened facilities in heavily defended areas
	In addition to the above, the UKs strategic deterrent, currently provided by the Trident missile system, is also a complex weapon.
	I am withholding details of certain in-service complex weapons systems as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Complex Weapons

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any projects for future complex weapons other than those assigned to Team CW.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Yes. At present Team CW covers only those requirements set out in the Ministerial Statement of 15 July 2008 (Official Report, Commons, col. 10WS). The Team CW concept has the potential to fulfil a wide range of our future complex weapons requirements and this will continue to be explored as we move through the project assessment phase. Nevertheless there are likely to be certain requirements, such as those usually obtained from specialist suppliers, for example, torpedoes and sensor-fuzed munitions that will continue to fall outside of its scope.

Armed Forces: Eurofighter

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In which export markets the United Kingdom defence industry takes the leading role in marketing the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Lord Jones of Birmingham: BAE Systems is the lead company for the campaign in Japan (supported by Alenia of Italy). BAE Systems is also leading on the marketing for a number of other prospects which have not yet reached the level of active campaigns. The UK Government through UKTI DSO are actively involved in supporting all these marketing efforts.

Armed Forces: Garrisons

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many troops will be based at the proposed West Midlands super-garrison in (a) 201217, and (b) 201830.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Army aspires to quartering the majority of its units in fewer, bigger and better garrisons over the coming decades. Development of this approach is continuing with a range of possible options being considered. The location of such garrisons has not yet been decided.

Armed Forces: Germany

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many Armed Forces personnel will be based in Germany in (a) 20082011, (b) 20122017, and (c) 20182030; and what is the value of the land and buildings that would become surplus to requirements following any reduction.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: With the continued agreement of the German Federal Government, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (UK MoD) intends to maintain a significant presence in Germany for the foreseeable future. While it is not possible to confirm exactly how many Armed Forces personnel will be based there over the next 22 years, it is anticipated that around 15,000 will remain following the return to the UK: of 4 Mechanised Brigade (which is nearing completion); the Headquarters of the NATO Rapid Reaction Corps in 2010; 1 Signal Brigade and 102 Logistic Brigade (the precise timings for these moves have yet to be determined).
	The estate is made available by the German Federal Government under Article 48 of the Supplementary Agreement to the NATO Status of Forces Agreement. Where estate or accommodation is no longer required, it will be released to the appropriate German authorities. The estate used by the British Forces in Germany is not owned by the UK MoD and it is therefore not appropriate for me to speculate on the value of the land and buildings which may be surplus to requirements.

Armed Forces: Iraq

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the approximate total number of members of the United Kingdom Armed Forces deployed to Iraq involved in incidents into which the Royal Military Police have opened inquiries.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Records suggest that the Royal Military Police have conducted in the region of 400 investigations into incidents involving members of the Armed Forces in Iraq. This figure excludes investigations where Armed Forces personnel are the alleged victims and includes a broad range of incidents from road traffic accidents to more serious allegations.
	Information on the current status of these investigations, how many individuals were under investigation in each case and how many of the investigations have and have not led to prosecutions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Iraq

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there are any further incidents involving the conduct of members of the United Kingdom armed forces deployed to Iraq into which the Royal Military Police may inquire but in respect of which no inquiries have been opened.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: It is mandatory for commanding officers to report without delay to the Royal Military Police all crimes in which service personnel or service interests are involved or suspected to be involved. It is also mandatory for serious incidents to be investigated by the Royal Military Police. I am not prepared to speculate on any investigations that the Royal Military Police may conduct in future.

Armed Forces: Royal Marines

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to move 45 Commando Royal Marines from Arbroath to south-west England in the 201830 period.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The strategic requirements for basing all Royal Marines units are routinely reviewed to ensure that the most cost-effective solution which contributes to 3 Commando Brigade's operational capability is being followed.
	There are no current plans to move 45 Commando to the south-west; a recent review recommended that the balance of advantage for 45 Commando Royal Marines lies with its current base at Arbroath, which is considered fit for purpose.

Childcare: Ofsted Report

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they will take in response to the report by Ofsted covering 143 childcare centres.

Lord Adonis: Ofsted published its annual report on the quality of early-years and childcare provision, Leading to Excellence, on 27 August 2008. The report showed that almost all settings (97 per cent) inspected during the three-year period to March 2008 were satisfactory or better and 3 per cent (which includes the 143 London childcare settings) were judged inadequate. The role of Ofsted is to inspect providers and, where they are found inadequate, to set out a plan of action to improve, carry out monitoring visits and/or reinspect to make sure action is being taken. By the next inspection almost all have improved.
	In support, the Government introduced: a statutory duty on local authorities in October 2007 to support registered providers to improve the quality of their provision; from 1 September, the early-years foundation stagewhich sets a single statutory national framework for standards of quality and safety parents are entitled to expect from childcare providers; and legislation requiring all childcare providers to inform parents if they are judged inadequate.

Civil Partnerships

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will encourage the introduction of European Union legislation or legislation in the other member states of the European Union for the mutual recognition of same-sex marriages, civil unions and civil partnerships.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: We are proud of our legislation introducing civil partnerships for same-sex couples and we encourage other countries to do likewise. Many types of same-sex relationship formalised in other EU countries are recognised as equivalent to civil partnerships in the United Kingdom. These include those registered in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Spain.
	We encourage other member states to recognise UK-registered civil partnerships. However, the terms under which same-sex relationships are legally recognised is ultimately a domestic policy matter and is therefore for each member state to determine for itself.

Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the change between 1992 and 2004 in carbon dioxide emissions associated with United Kingdom consumption of goods and services, including imports, exports and international transportation.

Lord Rooker: A recent report, funded by Defra, estimated that between 1992 and 2004 worldwide carbon dioxide emissions associated with UK consumption of goods and services (including international transportation) rose by about 115 million tonnes, or roughly 18 per cent, from about 647 million tonnes in 1992 to about 762 million tonnes in 2004. This has resulted chiefly from an increase in the total volume and diversity of products and services being consumed, and from a movement of manufacturing from the UK to countries where manufacturing is more carbon-intensive.
	As agreed internationally at UN level, the UK reports on, and is responsible for, greenhouse gas emissions occurring within its territory. By this measure, UK emissions of all greenhouse gases fell by roughly 16 per cent between 1990 and 2006 and carbon dioxide emissions fell by about 6 cent.
	The UK has no direct influence over emissions occurring beyond its territory, and cutting trade with more carbon-intensive (often poorer) economies would have serious, mutual impacts on economic growth.

Cluster Munitions

Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What restrictions are in place to prevent the export of cluster munitions, as defined in the Trade in Goods (Categories of Controlled Goods) Order 2008 (SI 2008/1805), prior to that Order coming into force; and whether such restrictions are sufficient to prevent the export of those munitions.

Lord Jones of Birmingham: Cluster munitions are currently controlled under entries ML3 and ML4 of Part I of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods, Transfer of Technology and Provision of Technical Assistance (Control) Order 2003 (The Military List) and therefore cannot be exported from the UK without a licence granted by the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
	I would like to clarify the Governments commitments in this area: at the recent Dublin conference, the UK was one of over 100 states which agreed to adopt the text of the new Convention on Cluster Munitions. That convention has yet to be ratified, but will include a ban. Until that ban is in place, any application to export cluster munitions from the UK would be rigorously assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, which cover, among other things, exports which would be used in the perpetration of human rights abuses or would exacerbate regional or internal conflicts in the destination country; and would be refused if any of these criteria were breached. As the noble Lord will be aware, the convention does however permit the transfer of cluster munitions between states party to the convention for the purposes of destruction, and for the development of and training in cluster munition and explosive submunition detection, clearance or destruction techniques; or the development of cluster munition counter measures. My understanding is, however, that no cluster munitions are produced in the UK, therefore it is unlikely that an application to export will arise in practice.

Cluster Munitions

Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any cluster munitions have been exported, or licensed or approved for export, since 30 May 2008; and, if so, in what quantity; to what destination; and to what declared end user.

Lord Jones of Birmingham: No cluster munitions have been exported or licensed or approved for export from the UK since 30 May 2008.

Crime: Knives

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 22 July (WA 241), and following confirmation by the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, that there was a proposal that people caught carrying knives should be taken to see victims of knife crime in hospital or to meet the families of victims, whether they will reconsider that Answer; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 22 July (WA 241) and the statement by the Home Secretary that knife offenders should be brought face to face with the consequencesthe gruesome injuries that can be caused (HC Deb, 14 July, col.17), whether they will reconsider that Answer.

Lord West of Spithead: The Written Answer given to Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 22 July (WA 241) stated that there is no proposal that offenders who have committed violence involving knives should visit victims in hospital. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary's statement in the House of Commons on 14 July confirmed that we are not proposing to bring young people into wards to see patients (col. 17). Our position remains the same.

Crime: Sexual Offences

Baroness Massey of Darwen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many children have been convicted of sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each of the past three years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Data showing the number of defendants aged 10 to 17 found guilty of all offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland from 2004 to 2006 are in the table below.
	The England and Wales statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Data for Scotland in the years 2004-05 to 2006-07 (data in Scotland are published per financial year) show there have been two persons aged 10 to 17 with a charge proven in Scottish courts under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2003; these were both in 2006-07.
	
		
			 Number of defendants aged 10 to 17 found guilty at all courts for all offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, England & Wales and Northern Ireland, 2004 to 2006(1)(2)(3) 
			 England and Wales 
			 2004 2005 2006 
			 165 464 464 
			 Northern Ireland 
			 2004 2005 2006 
			 - - 1 
		
	
	(1) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	(3) Data for Northern Ireland do not include other sexual offences that fall under other legislation in Northern Ireland. These include: rape, indecent assaults and buggery.

Crime: Treason

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In which statutes the offence of treason and the penalties for that crime are set out.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Treason is a criminal offence under the Treason Acts 1351, 1702 and 1842; and the Treason Felony Act 1848. The maximum penalty for the offences in the 1351, 1702 and 1848 Acts is life imprisonment. The maximum penalty for an offence under the 1842 Act (an offence of injuring or alarming the Sovereign) is seven years. The penalty for high treason is set out in the Treason Act 1814, as amended by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Cybercrime

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether (a) the national identity register, (b) the National Health Service database, (c) the National DNA Database and (d) the children's register are safeguarded from cybercrime by an air gap.

Lord West of Spithead: The requested information is not collected centrally. Police recorded crime data does not differentiate whether crime has been committed in an e-crime environment.
	The national crime recording standard (NCRS) and Home Office counting rules (HOCR) are the nationally agreed mechanism for police to record crime. They are both publicly available documents that can be accessed at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html.
	Forces return data according to the rules laid out in the Home Office counting rules, but there is not a requirement to separately identify whether this was a result of an e-crime.

Cybercrime

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they plan to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime; and whether they will make any reservations to it.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government are committed to ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, which we signed in 2001.
	The UK needs to bring in a number of pieces of domestic legislation before it can ratify the convention. The domestic legislation will be in place in October and that will meet the commitments of the convention. The UK will then initiate the process for formally ratifying the convention. We intend to complete that by the end of 2008.

Diplomatic Relations: US and Iran

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will consider taking in discussions with the Government of the United States to encourage an early resumption of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran.

Lord Bach: The Government are in close contact with the Government of the US in addressing the challenges posed by Iran's nuclear programme and her regional actions. The US is a member of the E3+3 group of countries. However, US-Iran bilateral contacts are a matter for the US Government.

Discrimination

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Ashton of Upholland) on 22 July (WA 243), whether, in light of the race directive as interpreted by the European Court of Justice, it is appropriate and necessary to introduce amending legislation to allow the Equality and Human Rights Commission to bring enforcement proceedings where no identifiable victim has come forward, to tackle discriminatory practices directly and indirectly.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government's view is that our existing legislative framework is broadly compliant. If a similar situation as occurred in the European Court of Justice case of Firma Feryn1 occurred in the UK, our wider domestic law provisions would provide suitable enforcement remedies for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
	In GB, the EHRC is empowered with various enforcement powers under the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Equality Act 2006 in respect of discriminatory advertisements, discriminatory practices and in circumstances where it thinks a person is likely to commit an unlawful act. We are considering how best to take account of the full implications of the judgment in preparation of the forthcoming Equality Bill. The Bill will provide an opportunity to clarify the position in the context of wider harmonisation and simplification proposals.
	1 Case C-54/07 Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding v Firma Feryn NV, 10 July 2008

Egypt: Religious Freedom

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to the Government of Egypt concerning the recent arrest of 40 members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Lord Bach: The Government do not routinely make representations to the Egyptian Government regarding the detention of Muslim Brotherhood members, but last did so in February 2008 in the run up to the Egyptian provincial elections.
	However, we engage in regular dialogue with the Egyptian authorities regarding human rights issues and will continue actively to raise specific cases of concern with the Egyptian authorities whenever appropriate.

Fishing

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 July (WA 108), what is the annual tonnage of dead fish thrown into the sea by Scottish vessels in Scottish waters; and what is the total tonnage so discarded (a) in all European Union waters, and (b) by all European Union vessels elsewhere.

Lord Rooker: In 2007 it is estimated that Scottish vessels discarded a total of 55,703 tonnes of cod, haddock, whiting and saithe in the North Sea and west of Scotland. This represents 51 per cent of total catch of these species. However, many other species are landed which are not monitored for discards purposes.
	We have no information on the amount discarded in all European Union waters, nor do we have information on the amount discarded by European Union vessels elsewhere. This is because there is no comprehensive up-to-date estimate of European discards.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is taking to implement the public sector food procurement initiative in respect of its purchasing of pork and bacon; what proportion of pork and bacon purchased is British; what attention is given to farm assurance, animal welfare, and health and nutrition; and how often purchasing policy is reviewed.

Lord Bach: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is implementing the public sector food procurement initiative by ensuring its purchase of pork and bacon products are from approved suppliers that represent best value for money and hold farm assurance accreditation. Accreditation requires suppliers to meet objectives in farm animal management, environment and hygiene management, feed composition, housing and handling facilities, medicines and veterinary treatments and transport of livestock.
	All of the pork purchased is bred in the UK and sourced through an established British supply chain. All of the bacon purchased is sourced from Denmark, as it is high quality and represents best value for money. However, the bacon is cured and processed in the UK.
	Our supplier reviews its purchasing policy, in conjunction with our catering agent, every six months.

Galileo Satellite System

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will maintain their opposition to the use of the Galileo satellite system for military purposes in spite of the vote by the European Parliament on 10 July approving the military use of Galileo.

Lord Bach: The European Parliament report has no legal standing and its views do not necessarily reflect those of member states. While Galileo's open service, like that of the global positioning system, can be accessed by all and therefore could be used by military forces, Galileo remains a civil programme under civil control.

Health: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any proposals for the use of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for the benefit of prisoners; and, if so, where; and in what circumstances it will be used.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Service Framework for Mental Health describes the evidence base for the effectiveness of psychological therapies for a range of conditions, including people with severe mental illness. The National Offender Management Service has no plans to use computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to support programmes that address offending behaviour.
	Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning an appropriate range of health services for their prison populations. Some prisons use computerised CBT, but the decision to do so is taken locally, taking account of the facilities and resources available.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence published guidance in 2002 on computerised CBT and this includes recommendations concerning its effectiveness.

House of Lords: Appointments

Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements are in place for the selection of the chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and for Parliament to scrutinise that appointment.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Prime Minister announced on 28 July that Lord Jay of Ewelme GCMG will succeed Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE as chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission with effect from 1 October 2008.
	Lord Jay has been selected in accordance with the code of practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The code requires openness and transparency, independent scrutiny of the appointments process and appointment on merit. In keeping with the Government's commitment to increase parliamentary scrutiny of key public appointments, Lord Jay appeared before the Public Administration Select Committee on 22 July in a pre-appointment hearing. The committee concluded that Lord Jay has the professional competence and personal independence required for the post and supported his appointment. Copies of the committee's report are available from the Library of the House.

House of Lords: Letters Patent

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	By what means Letters Patent creating peerages can be changed; and in what legislation that has occurred.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The effect of Letters Patent creating peerages can he changed by legislation which has that specific effect. It cannot be changed by legislation of general application. Thus, the Peerage Act 1963 allowed Peeresses in their own right to sit in the House of Lords regardless of the terms of any Letters Patent creating the peerage. The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the right of anyone to sit in the House by virtue of a hereditary peerage unless they were specifically excepted from the provisions. Conversely, the House of Lords decided in 1922 in the case of Viscountess Rhondda that the terms of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 were not sufficiently specific to allow her to take her seat in the Lords when her Letters Patent allowed her to inherit the peerage, but not the seat in the Lords. I am aware of only one case in which the effect of individual Letters Patent has been changed by Act of Parliament, which is that of the Duke of Marlborough in 1706.

Human Rights

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they consider the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the international community should deal with violations of human rights by the lower tiers of government in federal systems of government.

Lord Bach: When a federal state becomes party to a human rights treaty, all parts of that state are bound by its provisions. Article 50 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states that the provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
	The UN Human Rights Committee, set up to monitor adherence to the ICCPR, should deal with violations by all tiers of government in the same way. In advance of a state's examination, the committee selects five members of the committee to look into that state's record. Drawing on the periodic report prepared by the state under review, they are able to consult widely, including using the UN network of experts and special rapporteurs, to help determine a list of issues that will be put to the state as well as the questions that the committee will ask on the day of the examination. Non-governmental organisations are also able to feed their concerns in to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of the oral examination.
	In addition, when a state fails to comply with its obligations, other states can raise concerns in the UN Human Rights Council or in the UN General Assembly, either by making statements, formulating resolutions or calling for special sessions or action by special procedures.
	A new innovation in the UN Human Rights Council is the creation of a universal periodic review which is a state-to-state peer review mechanism with every UN country's human rights record being examined over a four year period, on a rolling basis. This process has just started. The UK is aiming to ensure that all states participate actively in the process and use it as an opportunity to be self-critical about their own human rights record and commit to make improvements. It will take time and effort to build this system into a mechanism that can deliver real improvements in the human rights situation on the ground. However, the UK was one of the first to undergo the process and was therefore in a privileged position to be able to lead by example. We are now working with other states coming up for review to encourage them to engage positively in the process.

India: Property Legislation

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are making representations to the Government of Goa regarding the reinterpretation of existing property legislation and amendment to the Indian Registration Act 1908 that is resulting in seizure of United Kingdom citizens' properties.

Lord Bach: Our High Commission in New Delhi has raised the issue with both the authorities in Goa and at a national level. In particular, we have made it clear that there should be no confiscation of property acquired legally by British citizens.
	The Government will continue to reiterate this message to the Indian authorities. Our travel advice has been updated to warn British citizens of the potential problems they could face in buying property in India. This can be accessed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website at: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/.

Inflation

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have considered changing the make-up of the basket of goods and services used to assess inflation.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Steinberg, dated July 2008.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking whether the Government has considered changing the make-up of the basket of goods and services used to assess inflation. [HL5159]
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for maintaining the basket of goods and services used in the calculation of the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
	The CPI is based on the changes in price of a fixed basket of goods and services. So that the CPI remains representative of consumer spending patterns over time, the selection of items is reviewed each year and the make-up of the basket is then held fixed for the year. Annual changes are introduced in the February index each year when revised item weights are applied.

Israel and Palestine: Prisoners

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they will make to the Government of Israel about the release of Palestinian prisoners, including Members of the Palestinian Parliament.

Lord Bach: The Government follow Israeli detention operations closely and monitor the situation with regard to all Palestinian prisoners.
	The Government believe that all Palestinian prisoners should have access to a fair trial and have called upon Israel to ensure that any actions it takes are in accordance with international law.
	While we welcome Israel's release of two Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Members, we will continue to call for all elected members of the PLC detained by Israel to be either released or subjected to the due legal process.
	Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised these issues with Israeli officials and will continue to do so.

Jury Service

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the reasons for retaining an upper age limit of 70 for jury service.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Jury service is a demanding duty with which members of the public are obliged to comply, and it is enforceable with criminal penalties. It is not therefore comparable with activities which individuals choose to pursue voluntarily. It would be unreasonable and unjustifiable in principle to require everybody over the age of 70 to undertake a compulsory duty of this nature, given that this is already some time after most people would expect to have come to the end of their working lives. The line has to be drawn somewhere and the lower and upper age limits for jury service of 18 and 70 respectively are sound.

Moldova

Baroness Quin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What recent ministerial contact has taken place with the Government of Moldova.

Lord Bach: In the past six months, my honourable friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and my right honourable friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury have held meetings with the Moldovan Minister of Finance.

Moldova

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they will take to strengthen the United Kingdom presence in Moldova following the decision to cease BBC World Service broadcasting in the Republic of Moldova from 1 August.

Lord Bach: The BBC World Service has ceased its Romanian language transmission following Romania's accession to the EU. We recognise that professionalism across all media is extremely important for the Republic of Moldova. We are looking at exploring opportunities for staff of the BBC World Service in Moldova to continue to work as a team, following the same journalistic standards acquired during their time with the BBC, for example, through the creation of a new press group. We have facilitated contact between staff of the BBC World Service in Moldova and a range of donors who may be able to support such an activity.

Moldova

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made in the negotiations on a new legal framework for relations between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova.

Lord Bach: In February 2008, the EU agreed to negotiate a successor agreement to the expired EU-Moldova action plan. The UK has played an active role in discussions about the nature of this agreement. A conference at Wilton Park from 14 to 18 October will give an opportunity to continue this debate as well as to discuss other Moldovan issues.

Moldova

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What information they have received regarding the efforts of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to implement the European UnionMoldova European neighbourhood policy action plan; and to advance the dialogue on a legal framework of its relations with the European Union.

Lord Bach: Moldova regularly reports to the EU on progress made under the action plan. In addition, the European Commission published its annual progress report on the European neighbourhood policy action plan on 3 April 2008. The report welcomed the substantial progress made so far but noted that more work was needed on the effective implementation of reforms, particularly in the areas of judicial reform and corruption. A delegation from the Commission visited Moldova on 8 July to review progress and discuss plans for a new agreement.

Nigeria: President

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will, if approved, recognise the Nigerian presidential process as soon as the High Court in Abuja has delivered its verdict; and whether the United Kingdom High Commissioner will then call on the president to identify implementable initiatives to deepen the bilateral relationship.

Lord Bach: The then Foreign Secretary, my right honourable friend Margaret Beckett, made clear the UK's concerns about the flawed nature of Nigeria's April 2007 elections in her Statement of 23 April 2007 and urged those disputing results to do so peacefully through appropriate electoral tribunals. On 26 February the Presidential Election Tribunal upheld Umaru YarAduas election as President of Nigeria. An appeal against this decision has been made to the Supreme Court, which is expected to pass judgment shortly. Meanwhile, we recognise Umaru Yar'Adua as president and have pursued initiatives in a range of areas to further strengthen the close bilateral relationship between the UK and Nigeria, most recently during President YarAduas visit to the UK from 15 to 18 July.

Non-emergency Telephone Number

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many calls there have been to the 101 non-emergency number in each of the service areas (a) in total; and (b) per head of population since the service was launched.

Lord West of Spithead: The average number of telephone calls to the 101 number in each of the areas can be found in the table attached.
	
		
			 Partnership Total calls Per head of population 
			 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (May 2006 to date) 439,399 0.240 
			 Cardiff (June 2006 to date) 142,210 0.448 
			 Sheffield (June 2006 to date) 125,257 0.238 
			 Northumbria and Tyne and Wear (July 2006 - March 2008) 296,202 0.212 
			 Leicester City, Rutland, Melton and Harborough (September 2006 - December 2007) 70,629 0.154 
			 London pilot running in Barking and Dagenham and Waltham Forest (February 2008 to date) 3,478 0.009

Northern Ireland Office: Communications Review

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 July (WA 116) concerning a review of communications regarding bodies sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office, whether a copy of the review will be placed in the Library of the House.

Lord Rooker: As this was an internal review I do not intend to place a copy in the Library of the House.

Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 10 June (WA 9495) concerning the expenses incurred by the chairman of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum, who decided that the forum's expenses should be paid for although it is outside the definition of a public body; and in what other cases involving the Northern Ireland Office such arrangements have been made in the last five years.

Lord Rooker: Mr Sidoti's terms and conditions of appointment, including the payment of his travel expenses, were approved by Ministers.
	As set out in my written answer to the noble Lord on 2 June 2008 (Official Report, col. WA 42), as with public bodies, the principle that no appointee should be out of pocket as a result of his or her appointment was applied in relation to Mr Sidoti's appointment to the forum. The NIO has set up a number of other bodies in the past five years that do not fall within the definition of a public body. They are listed below:
	Consultative Group on the Past
	Robert Hamill Inquiry
	Rosemary Nelson Inquiry
	Billy Wright Inquiry
	Bloody Sunday Inquiry
	Strategic Review of Parading
	Prisoner Ombudsman
	The principle that no appointee should be out of pocket as a result of his or her appointment was also applied to the members of all these bodies, who also receive reimbursement for their travel expenses.

Police: National Computer

Lord Warner: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many requests have been made for corrections to individual entries on the Police National Computer in the last year for which information is available in (a) the Metropolitan Police Authority area and (b) the rest of England.

Lord West of Spithead: This information is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces.

Post Offices: Cornwall

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In respect of the proposed closure of post offices in Cornwall by Post Office Ltd, (a) what financial criteria have been applied to inform the decision-making process; (b) how the availability, cost and practicality of access to alternative post offices has been assessed; (c) whether the option of allowing those staff operating small post offices to provide other retail services at the same time has been considered; and (d) who is requiring Post Office Ltd to close a specific number of post offices in Cornwall, and requiring that if one post office is saved from closure another is to be closed instead.

Baroness Vadera: In identifying post offices to propose for closure, Post Office Ltd (POL) acts within the criteria set by the Government in their May 2007 response to the public consultation on the future of the Post Office network (available at www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39479.pdf). The implementation of the programme within the Government's framework is an operational matter for POL. I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to write directly to the noble Lord setting out how the criteria are implemented in the development of each area plan.
	In relation to other retail services, it is for sub-postmasters, not Post Office Ltd, to decide whether they wish to operate other services alongside their Post Office outlet. Currently, 80 per cent of rural post offices offer other retail services.
	There is no requirement to close a specified number of branches in any county or local area plan. In addition, where a closure proposal is withdrawn, there is no requirement to close an alternative branch. However, the future sustainability of many of the remaining offices is closely tied to the migration of custom from nearby offices which have closed. Post Office Ltd therefore reserves the right to identify an alternative office for closure where a closure proposal is withdrawn after local consultation. Any new closure proposal is subject to a further six-week consultation.

Questions for Written Answer: Costs

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 21718) concerning the disproportionate cost of answering Parliamentary Questions, who decides what grade of civil servant answers questions; and how much it costs to make such a decision.

Lord Rooker: Allocation of Parliamentary Questions to civil servants is taken by the head of the business area responsible for the subject matter posed in the question.
	The cost in reaching this decision is negligible.
	All draft answers are cleared at senior civil service level before being submitted to Ministers for consideration.

Questions for Written Answer: Late Answers

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many Questions for Written Answer remained unanswered, in breach of the 14-day rule, when the House of Lords rose for the Summer Recess on 22 July; how many of them related to the future of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal as a discrete and specialised jurisdiction; what proposals they have for reducing the delay in the answering of such Questions; and how they will make affected people without internet access aware of Answers provided during the Summer Recess.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: When the House of Lords rose for the Summer Recess on 22 July 2003 there were 37 Questions for Written Answer which remained unanswered and in breach of the 14-day rule. None of those Questions related to the future of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal. Publication of the Answers to Parliamentary Questions is a matter for the House authorities.

Supreme Court

Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the White Paper An Elected Second Chamber: Further reform of the House of Lords, whether they have any proposals to avoid a perception among litigants in the Supreme Court that there are two tiers of Supreme Court Justicesthose who are life Peers and those who are not.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 provides that on the creation of the Supreme Court, all sitting Law Lords and those subsequently appointed directly to the Court, will be known as Justices of the Supreme Court. I am confident that all Justices will apply the same exceptional and high standards to those cases put before them.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Lord Warner: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people have been stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 since its introduction in (a) the Metropolitan Police Authority area and (b) the rest of England.

Lord West of Spithead: Statistics on the number of stop-searches conducted under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are in the Statistical Bulletin Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers Under PACE. The latest version of this can be found here:
	www.justice.gov.uk/docs/arrests-recorded-crime-engl-wales-2006-07.pdf (Table PC, Page 15)
	The Ministry of Justice also publishes the Statistical Bulletin, Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System. This details the number of Section 44 stop-searches broken down by ethnicity. This can be located here:
	www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-race-criminal-justice.pdf (Table 4.6, Page 34)
	Publications for previous years can be located at the Home Office Statistical Bulletins Archive located here:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsstatistical.html
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Lord Warner: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people who have been stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been provided with a copy of the form which is completed at the time of the stop.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of people provided with a copy of the form which is completed during a stop and search under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
	Practice Advice On Stop and Search 2006 advises that forms must be completed at all stops. The guidance further states that an officer, when making a stop under Section 44, must provide the person stopped with a copy of the completed form.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Lord Warner: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been (a) arrested and (b) charged in (1) the Metropolitan Police Authority area and (2) the rest of England.

Lord West of Spithead: Statistics on the number of stop-searches conducted under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published in two reports on a yearly basis. The Ministry of Justice report Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System and the Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin: Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers Under PACE both contain statistics on the number of people stop-searched under the Terrorism Act and resultant arrests. The latest version of these publications can be located at:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/arrestsfornotible offences.htm (page 13 and 28)
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/raceandcjs.htm (page 35 and 36)
	Publications for previous years can be located at the Home Office Statistical Bulletins Archive located here:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html

Ulster-Scots

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 216) concerning funding for Ulster-Scots language and culture and Irish language and culture in Northern Ireland, why the Answer only applies to the Irish community; and what is the situation as regards the Ulster-Scots community.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 28 July [HL5194].

Zimbabwe

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their reaction to the talks between the Government and Opposition in Zimbabwe.

Lord Bach: We recognise that these talks are a potential step forward, but one that must now be matched by action on the ground. It is important that the negotiations do not take place in a climate of fear. The ongoing violence against supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change needs to end and non-governmental organisations should be allowed to resume their vital humanitarian work in the rural areas and among the people who need them most. The negotiation must also lead to an outcome that reflects the will of the people as they voted on 29 March.

Alcohol

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In light of the report by the Royal College of Physicians, whether they will review their policies on cut-price drinking and the opening hours of public houses.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government have commissioned a detailed academic study from the School of Health and Related Research at Sheffield University (ScHARR) to look at the evidence on the relationship between alcohol price, promotion and harm. The second phase of the ScHARR review is due in September, and the Government will examine the findings of both phases and consider if any further actions on alcohol and price might be both proportionate and necessary in order to have a significant impact on alcohol-related harm. There are no current plans to change the existing licensing regime, which allows the setting of hours to be decided locally, subject to the views of responsible authorities, such as the police, and interested parties, such as residents living in the vicinity.

Alcohol: Labelling

Baroness Coussins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What meetings they have planned to discuss the mandatory codes proposed in the consultation on alcohol retailing Safe, Sensible, Social-consultation on further action with representatives of (a) working men's clubs, (b) the cinema and theatre industries, (c) historic houses, (d) small sports clubs, and (e) the hospitality and tourism industries; and
	What is their response to the findings of the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association Technology Limited report published by the Department of Health in July that 57 per cent of labels on alcoholic drinks purchased in the off-trade include information on alcohol units and of the KPMG report published by the Department of Health on the same day that 85 per cent of alcoholic drinks products sold in the on-trade include information on alcohol units on the label; and
	How the term market share was defined and calculated in the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association Technology Limited study commissioned by the Department of Health and published in July; and how this differs from market volume; and
	What were the 62 separate features examined by the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association Technology Limited study commissioned by the Department of Health to determine compliance with the voluntary labelling agreement between the Department of Health and the producers of alcoholic drinks in the United Kingdom.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department currently has no specific meetings planned with representatives from working men's clubs, the cinema and theatre industries, historic houses, small sports clubs and the hospitality and tourism industries to discuss a mandatory code for alcohol retail. However, government officials have organised a series of national and regional meetings to allow a wide range of organisations, including those you have identified, to provide views to the consultation.
	The findings of the School of Health and Related Research pricing and promotion review, the KPMG review on the alcohol industry's social responsibility standards and the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) review of labelling and a further monitoring review, to be carried out towards the end of the year, will be considered alongside the responses to the government consultation and the mandatory code. We will then decide what actions need to be taken to tackle the harm that alcohol misuse causes, to prevent irresponsible practices and to provide an environment where people are able to drink sensibly. This includes whether or not a mandatory code on alcohol retail should be introduced and whether mandatory labelling of alcohol products should be introduced.
	The methodology used by the CCFRA, including the definition and calculation of market share and the 62 separate features it examined, is explained in its report, Monitoring Implementation of Alcohol Labelling Regime, a copy of which is in the Library.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made to date with the British-French helicopter initiative; and what further progress they anticipate in the short term and in the longer term.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The British-French helicopter initiative has stimulated considerable activity. EU member states and NATO allies have identified, through questionnaires, deficiencies in their helicopter capabilities that preclude them from deploying on operations. Advanced tactical training was identified as one of the areas in which EU member states were deficient and which, if resolved, could assist some member states in their planned operational deployments.
	In the short term, urgent work is being undertaken in the European Defence Agency to produce a European helicopter tactics training syllabus and to demonstrate its use in supporting EU member states with tactics training prior to operational deployments. The first students should be available for operational deployment in 2009. In the longer term, all EU member states have offered to work together to address the perceived shortfalls in helicopter tactical training. This work is vital and will build on nations' ability to work together in testing operations. In the longer term, the EDA plans to investigate the possibility of taking a more multinational approach to helicopter upgrades to achieve efficiencies and operational deployability.

Armed Forces: Non-military posts

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many serving members of the Armed Forces occupy positions which (a) have in the past been occupied by civilians; (b) may alternatively be occupied by civilians; and (c) require no combat training.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: There are currently 318 posts across defence occupied by military personnel that have in the past been occupied by civilians.
	The job specifications for posts in the Ministry of Defence are reviewed regularly and evolve to meet the department's operational need. Military personnel should only be required when there is a requirement for the application of personal military knowledge, expertise and judgement. There are some posts, called opportunity posts, that can be filled by someone from any branch or service of the Armed Forces and by civilians on a rotational basis. Opportunity posts have a limited time span after which they revert to civilian posts. Detail on the current number of opportunity posts is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All serving members of the Armed Forces are required to undertake combat training because they are liable for deployment at any time. Nevertheless, there are some established posts undertaken by service personnel in which combat training is not a direct requirement of the job.

Armed Forces: Tactical Requirements

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What consideration has been given to offering cash prizes for innovative ideas to solve tactical military requirements; and what changes to legislation would be required to provide such incentives for privately funded concepts.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Ministry of Defence is actively encouraging the nation's innovators to engage with the defence sector to deliver battle-winning technology for UK Armed Forces through initiatives such as the Centre for Defence Enterprise and the Grand Challenge. The guiding principle is to ensure value for money for the taxpayer while delivering departmental objectives. This is usually achieved by restricting payment to delivery of goods and services through contractual arrangements, but other methods of reward are possible including cash prizes.

Armed Forces: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans have been made for buying Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) beyond those currently in service; and what representations have been made by United Kingdom industry to supply UAVs which fulfil a similar role.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: All Reapers are being acquired under urgent operational requirement (UOR) arrangements to support operations. We currently have two Reaper UAVs available for operations with a further one expected to be available from early 2009. We are in the process of acquiring a further two Reapers to support this capability. We keep our requirements for current operations under constant review and last year, to facilitate rapid procurement if required, we obtained approval in principle from the US Congress to seek to acquire further Reapers. This administrative measure carries no commitment to acquisition.
	UK industry understands that it could not offer a similar UAV to meet the immediate operation-specific requirement, but we are engaged closely with UK industry on our future requirements, for example through a joint investigation into the UK's military UAV capability requirement and how it should be delivered and through UAV technology demonstrator programmes such as TARANIS and MANTIS aimed at exploring the scope for affordable indigenous capability.

Buses

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether local authorities and bus operators are receiving sufficient funding to allow the concessionary bus fares scheme to work properly.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government provide around £l billion a year of funding for the concessionary travel scheme. This includes an extra £212 million that was made available to local authorities for 2008-09, through a special grant, to fund the increased cost of the new statutory minimum bus concession. The funding allocation was approved following debate in the House of Commons on 25 March, and the allocation for each local authority in England for the next three years is published in the special grant report (No. 129).
	The Government are confident that the extra funding is sufficient to meet the total cost to local authorities, as it is based on generous assumptions around fares, pass take-up, extra journeys and additional costs.
	The Government are not party to negotiations between bus operators and local authorities regarding the amount of concessionary fare reimbursement paid to operators taking part in concessionary fares schemes.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to extend the Prime Minister's recent freer trade for Palestinians appeal to citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus who, despite their support for various solutions including the 2004 Annan plan, have been subject to an embargo since 1974.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government congratulate the two leaders in Cyprus for their decision, announced on 25 July, to start direct negotiations and for the progress they have made towards a reunified, indivisible Cyprus. The UK is fully committed to the establishment of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality in Cyprus and stands ready to play its part in supporting the efforts of the two leaders through engagement with all parties. However, we also firmly believe that this must be a settlement by Cypriots for Cypriots. Within the settlement process, experts are considering ways to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus and promote interdependence between Cypriots by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. That is in line with the EU's aid regulation in support of Turkish Cypriots and the regulation governing trade across the Green Line.
	While the Government believe that only through a comprehensive solution can the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community be fully lifted, the UK supports all measures which would promote trade between Turkish Cypriots and the rest of Europe, demonstrating the economic benefits for all Cypriots of a settlement. To this end, the Government will continue to work with the European Commission and presidency to find a mechanism to enable the Turkish Cypriots to trade with the EU on preferential terms.

Energy: Air Source Heat Pumps

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their assessment of the contribution to domestic energy supply which air source heat pumps could provide.

Lord Jones of Birmingham: Air source heat pumps can be an option for reducing carbon emissions from buildings, depending on the efficiency rating of the air source heat pump and the carbon intensity of the electricity it uses. At current prices they will generally be more expensive than conventional sources of heating, and their take-up will depend on future policy, as well as technology developments. The renewable energy strategy consultation published recently includes considerations of the role that microgeneration, including air source heat pumps will play going forward and considers a range of possible initiatives such as financial or regulatory instruments. We will also be consulting on a low-carbon heat strategy later this year.
	In spring 2009, we plan to outline the measures we will need to meet our share of the EU targets by 2020 but also to achieve our longer-term renewable and carbon targets. In this strategy we will look further at microgeneration as part of our renewable energy policy and in the context of the UK's wider energy generation mix.

Energy: Air Source Heat Pumps

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will consider incorporating air source heat pumps into the Code for Sustainable Buildings.

Baroness Andrews: The Code for Sustainable Homes (the code) was introduced in April 2007 as the national sustainability standard for new homes. A code for sustainable buildings does not currently exist, and the Government do not have any plans to introduce one. The code contains nine categories of sustainability, one of which is energy. Within this category there are examples of technologies that may be considered as part of a low- or zero-carbon emission solution, and air source heat pumps (ASHP) are included in this list. Developers decide what solutions, if any, to use in a development and may choose ASHPs if appropriate.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why, at a recent meeting of the European Union Energy Working Group, they proposed to change the text of the draft directive on renewable energy to remove the requirement to provide priority access for renewable energy to the national grid; and how such a change will increase the proportion of renewable energy.

Lord Jones of Birmingham: The Government believe that priority access should remain an option for member states. In considering whether this is the right approach for our market, the issue is not simply whether we can connect more renewable generation but whether we can also maintain a reliable network and encourage essential investment in other generating technologies. Much variable renewable generation, such as from wind and wave power, requires a significant amount of responsive generation as back-up. We need to be sure that both are available. From the perspective of a renewable generator, knowing that a grid connection will be available when needed is likely to be more important than whether there is priority access over other technologies.
	The recently published transmission access review (TAR) report (web address: www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46774.pdf) sets out a package of measures that, we believe, when taken together could remove or significantly reduce grid-related barriers to renewable and other forms of generation. These include short-term measures to connect more generators, enduring reform to grid access arrangements and acceleration of the way in which new grid infrastructure is planned and developed.

Equal Pay

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their assessment of the impact on local authority budgets of the recent Court of Appeal judgment on equal pay schemes in local government.

Baroness Andrews: Local authorities, in their capacity as employers, are considering the potential impact of the recent Court of Appeal judgment in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council v Bainbridge & Ors. Communities and Local Government is monitoring developments with the local government employers.

Health: Cancer Drugs

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will reconsider the non-availability on the National Health Service of certain cancer drugs which can prolong life.

Lord Darzi of Denham: General practitioners are able to prescribe any licensed medicine on the National Health Service unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 to the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004.
	Hospital clinicians are not affected by these statutory restrictions. They can prescribe any medicine, provided their local primary care trust agrees to its supply at NHS expense.

Health: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which NHS trusts have used the ultrasis computerised cognitive behavioural therapy system since the White Paper Our Care, Our Health, Our Say; and what is their assessment of its effectiveness as a primary care mental health system; and
	Whether they have any proposals for increased use of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Information about which National Health Service (NHS) trusts have used a specific computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) is not collected centrally.
	The effectiveness of cCBT was assessed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which published guidance, Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety, in February 2004. NICE will consult on plans to review this in September 2008.
	In October 2007, the Secretary of State announced investment rising to £173 million by 2011 for the delivery of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT). In spring 2008, the department issued guidance detailing the implementation of the IAPT programme and issued a separate tool kit for commissioners. Both of these describe the use of cCBT as an integral element of IAPT. The responsibility for the provision of all NHS services and treatments rests with primary care trusts (PCTs), and decisions about spending on treatments are made by each PCT.

Health: Drug Tariff

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the areas of the drug tariff in which the NHS efficiency target is used to determine the annual fee increase formula for remuneration.

Lord Darzi of Denham: I refer the noble Lady to the Written Answer I gave her on 22 July 2008 (Official Report, 22/7/08; col. WA 254).

Health: Drug Tariff

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many new (a) categories, and (b) sub-categories there are in their consultation document, Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology applianceand related servicesin Primary Care.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The proposed classification is as follows:
	Part IXA7 chapters/50 sub-categories/95 groups;
	Part IXB36 chapters/90 sub-categories/132 groups; and
	Part IXC29 chapters/125 sub-categories/254 groups.
	The classification was determined by two panels: one to review urology appliances listed in Part IXA (catheter) and Part IXB and the other to review items listed in Part IXC. Membership consisted of healthcare professionals, patient and industry association representatives. Their work was also subject to expert review by healthcare professionals who were either currently practising in the National Health Service or could provide proof of extensive professional experience.

Health: Herbal Products

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 July (cols. WA 254255), (a) what estimate they have made of the cost of commissioning chromatographic fingerprinting tests for multi-ingredient herbal remedies; and (b) when Ministers last met representatives of the European Commission to discuss the impact of the traditional herbal medicines directive (2004/24/EC); and what was the outcome.

Lord Darzi of Denham: In its regulatory impact assessment of the traditional herbal registration (THR) scheme, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) estimated that typically the overall costs of registering a product under the scheme, including the cost associated with chromatographic testing, could be several tens of thousand pounds. It was anticipated that this figure would vary widely according to specific circumstances, not least depending on whether companies already had systematic quality control systems in place. This assessment has not changed.
	Ministers have not met representatives of the European Commission to discuss the impact of the traditional herbal medicines directive. However, the Government do take the issue of regulatory impact very seriously and continue to seek ways of minimising its impact. In its response to the Commission's 2007 review of the early operation of the directive, the MHRA stressed the need to carefully manage and minimise regulatory impact while not compromising public health. MHRA's response to the Commission is available on its website at: www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Consultations/CON2031524.

Heritage: Historic Ships

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to secure the future of historic ships in the forthcoming Heritage Protection Bill.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The draft Heritage Protection Bill will continue the level of protection provided by current legislation for ships fixed to land and lying wrecked on the sea bed. There are no provisions in the draft Bill specifically for the protection or management of historic ships in use.

House of Lords: Reform

Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	To what extent, in considering House of Lords reform, they have taken into account the value the House attaches to the participation of the senior judiciary in debates and on committees.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Under the Government's proposals for a reformed second Chamber, retired judges would be able to stand for election or be appointed, if it is decided that appointments are to be made.
	The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 set out clearly the separation of the judiciary from the legislature, including that judges serving in the Supreme Court will not take part in the work of the House of Lords.

Licensing

Baroness Coussins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What mechanisms are used to inform local authorities of their powers and duties under the Licensing Act 2003; what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of such methods; and what resources are available for informing local authorities of their powers and duties under that Act.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The principal mechanism for informing local authorities of their powers and duties under the Licensing Act 2003 is the guidance issued under Section 182 to licensing authorities, the police and other agencies. Revised guidance was issued in June 2007, following extensive consultation with stakeholders including the Local Government Association (LGA) and Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to ensure it remains effective. In addition, DCMS officials attend meetings of LACORS local and regional licensing groups, as well as other events such as the recent national enforcement summit with senior police and local authority representatives, which will be followed up with a series of similar regional events later this year.

Licensing

Baroness Coussins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are considering amending the Licensing Act 2003 to include the protection and promotion of public health as one of its objectives.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government currently have no plans to amend the Licensing Act 2003 to add any additional licensing objectives.

Licensing: Music

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 22 July (WA 242), with which representatives of the music sector they are discussing draft exemptions to the Licensing Act 2003.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is at an early stage of the development of exemptions for low-impact licensable activities, including small-scale live music.
	Officials have discussed the draft live music exemptions with the Musicians' Union and with individual live music providers. We will continue to discuss all of the exemptions with a variety of stakeholders, particularly those on our licensing advisory group, which includes the Arts Council representing all the arts, including music.

Licensing: Music

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 22 July (WA 272), what is their definition of the phrase de minimis in that context; whether low-impact licensing activities are already exempt from the scope of the Licensing Act 2003 by virtue of being de minimis; and, if so, whether the proposed consultation will be based on activities which are not de minimis but may nonetheless be suitable for exemption.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is at an early stage of the development of exemptions for low-impact licensable activities, including small-scale live music. The term that has been used to describe these proposals during their development is de minimis. This term is not intended to define the exemptions but is merely a short-hand way of referring to activities that may, subject to further analysis and consultation, be appropriate for exemption from the scope of the Act in view of their likely low impact on the licensing objectives.

Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 22 July (WA 2745) concerning bonuses paid to civil servants, what are the overall limits set by HM Treasury for each department; and how much was allocated as bonuses.

Lord Bach: The 2008-09 Civil Service pay guidance does not set a limit on the proportion of pay that can be devoted to rewarding performance. The amount allocated as performance pay for each department below the SCS is not held centrally.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what basis the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland was instructed by a Northern Ireland Office Minister to participate in recent negotiations with the Ulster Defence Association; and whether they will clarify the circumstances.

Lord Rooker: The Government are not engaged in negotiations with the Ulster Defence Association. The chief constable of the PSNI was invited by Paul Goggins to attend a meeting with the Ulster Political Research Group and other prominent loyalists on 28 July 2008. The issues addressed included the interface between local community representatives and district police commanders.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is their policy to involve senior police commanders in confidential negotiations with terrorists and criminals; and, if so, how such negotiations facilitate the administration of justice.

Lord Rooker: The Government have no policy of this sort.

Political Parties: Funding

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 July (WA 125) concerning donations to political parties, why there are different rules for Irish citizens living in the United Kingdom and for British citizens living in the Republic of Ireland.

Lord Rooker: An individual's nationality and country of residence can affect his or her eligibility to make political donations in several ways. As I explained in my Answer of 14 July, individuals can donate to political parties in the United Kingdom if they are on a United Kingdom electoral register. Nationality and country of residence are relevant in determining whether an individual is eligible to register to vote in the UK; for example, British citizens living outside the UK can apply to be on the register in certain circumstances, whilst non-British citizens cannot. There are also specific additional arrangements enabling Irish citizens to donate to Northern Ireland political parties but not parties in the rest of the UK.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have examined the relationship between the duration of railway franchises and the amount of money invested by franchisees in railway infrastructure; and, if so, what conclusions they have reached.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport has not carried out such an. examination. Network Rail is responsible for investment in railway infrastructure, except in a small number of older franchises, where franchise contracts were designed as an investment vehicle. The controlling factor is therefore contract design, rather than franchise duration.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is still their intention to authorise the ordering of 1,300 new rail vehicles during control period 4 (2009-14); and, if so, whether the rolling stock industry has sufficient capacity to provide those vehicles.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The intention is still to deliver the additional rolling stock during control period 4. There is no reason to believe that the industry cannot provide these vehicles.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will authorise the order for the additional cars for the Trans-Pennine Express trains which the train operating company wishes to acquire.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Trans-Pennine Express (TPE) will place an order for additional vehicles once the discussions that are under way between the Department for Transport and TPE have successfully concluded with a signed deed of amendment to the franchise agreement.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will authorise the order which National Express East Anglia needs in order to relieve overcrowding on its routes.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: National Express East Anglia (NXEA) will place an order for new rolling stock to relieve overcrowding on its routes once the discussions that are under way between the Department for Transport and NXEA have been successfully concluded with a signed deed of amendment to the franchise agreement.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether First Great Western Trains are to receive any of the 1,300 new carriages that the Government propose to order during control period 4 (200914).

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under the Department for Transport's rolling stock plan, published in January 2008, First Great Western (FGW) is to receive 52 additional vehicles to be deployed in the Bristol area and on the London Thames Valley route. In its update to the high-level output specification delivery plan, published in July 2008, the department stated that the FGW intervention would take place in phase 2 of this plan.

Religion

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they propose to take to counteract the wishes of some Muslim students to kill in the name of religion.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The Government's assessment is that there is a serious but not widespread issue of violent extremist activity in our universities.
	We issued guidance to the higher education sector on how to increase its resilience to violent extremism, and we are working with students and academics to raise awareness of these very sensitive issues. Universities work closely with their local police force to highlight any areas of concern.
	We are working with university staff and students to promote a culture of free and open debate in our universities and to foster inter-faith and cultural dialogue. My ministerial colleague Mr Rammell has led a series of debates on how we can use the hard-won heritage of free and open debate to isolate and challenge the views of those who would promote violence and hatred. It is our belief that in academic freedom lies the most powerful means of refuting and isolating violent extremists on campus and promoting cohesive campus communities.

Shipping: Navigational Aids

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the number of navigational aids in England and Wales inspected by Trinity House in the past three years; how many were found to be defective; of these, how many were owned and operated by a competent harbour authority; and how many by third parties.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information requested is set out below:
	
		
			  2005 2006 2007 
			 Aids to navigation inspected by Trinity House 7,980 9,721 9,665 
			 Defective aids to navigation inspected by Trinity House 1,223 (15.33%) 1,313 (13.51%) 1,554 (16.08%) 
			 Aids to navigation inspected under the management of competent harbour authorities 4,014 5,213 5,306 
			 Defective aids to navigation inspected under the management of competent harbour authorities 505 (12.58%) 579 (11.11%) 615 (11.59%) 
			 Aids to navigation inspected under the management of other aids to navigation providers 3,966 4,508 4,359 
			 Defective aids to navigation inspected under the management of other aids to navigation providers 718 (18.10%) 734 (16.28%) 939 (21.54%)

Tax Credits

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much money has been lost due to overpayment of tax credits.

Lord Bach: Estimates of the number of overpaid tax credit awards and overpaid amounts for each year of new tax credits up to 2006-07 are published in table 9 of HM Revenue and Customs 2007-08 Accounts. Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Table 11 in the same report provides estimates of the total amount of tax credit debt, including the total amounts recovered or written off as at 5 April 2008.
	This publication is available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.qov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct07O8.pdf.

Taxation: Inheritance Tax

Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they plan to increase the threshold for inheritance tax.

Lord Bach: The inheritance tax nil-rate band currently stands at £312,000. The Chancellor announced at Budget 2006 that the nil-rate band would rise to £325,000 for 2009-10 and at Budget 2007 that it would rise to £350,000 for 2010-11.

Taxation: VAT

Lord James of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the judgment of the House of Lords on 18 July 2007 in Sempra Metals Limited v HM Commissioners of Inland Revenue and another, what would be the additional cost to the Treasury of having to pay compound interest rather than simple interest in relation to currently outstanding VAT claims and in relation to VAT claims previously paid.

Lord Bach: The information requested is not available.

Taxation: VAT

Lord James of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the publication of the litigation and settlements strategy by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), whether HMRC will not litigate all VAT matters and instead settle certain cases where HMRC believes its prospects of success to be low.

Lord Bach: HMRC's litigation and settlement strategy sets out principles for bringing tax disputes to a conclusion. The strategy makes it clear that HMRC will focus on issues where it has a strong case or where a fundamental point of principle is at stake, recognising that sometimes both HMRC and taxpayers would benefit from a clarification of the law.

Taxation: VAT

Lord James of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the judgment of the House of Lords on 23 January in Condé Nast Publications Limited v HM Revenue and Customs and the creation of a new deadline for the presentation of previously disallowed claims for wrongly collected VAT, (a) what is the current value of all claims for which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) already acknowledge a liability to repay; (b) what is the current value of all claims which HMRC recognise as outstanding but which have yet to be finally agreed; and (c) what value HMRC has estimated for the previously time-barred claims which are likely to be submitted by 31 March 2009; and
	Following the judgment of the House of Lords on 23 January in Condé Nast Publications Limited v HM Revenue and Customs and the creation of a new deadline for the presentation of previously disallowed claims for wrongly collected VAT, (a) what amount has been allowed in the Red Book for payments to be made in respect of VAT claims in 2008-09; (b) how much HM Revenue and Customs expects to pay in 2008-09; and (c) what amounts are expected to be paid for each subsequent year up to 2012-13.

Lord Davies of Oldham: As at 29 August 2008, HMRC has repaid VAT and related statutory interest claims totalling approx £l billion as a result of the litigation in Fleming and Condé Nast, of which approximately £200 million has been repaid so far in 2008-09. This is broadly in line with Treasury forecasts of the likely impact on VAT receipts following those decisions. There are currently no robust estimates available of the values of outstanding or future claims. However, the Treasury has made prudent provision for such repayments in the forecast of VAT revenues for 2008-09 and will keep provision for this and future years under review.

Transport: Cambridgeshire Guided Busway

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Cambridgeshire guided busway operation will be liable for business rates; and, if so, how these will be assessed.

Lord Bach: The Cambridgeshire guided busway operation will be liable for business rates if, when in operation, it will be possible to identify a party which is in beneficial and exclusive occupation, whether of the whole busway or parts of it. The busway will be assessed, to the extent that it is so occupied, on the same basis as other rateable property.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have made, or intend to make, representations to the Government of Turkey concerning the religious freedoms of the Alevis, in particular their undertakings to recognise the Alevi houses of worship known as cemeulers and the rights of parents to withdraw children from compulsory Sunni Islam religious education classes.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The issue of religious freedom of Alevi and other minority groups in Turkey is raised routinely as part of the EU's political dialogue with Turkey and is also covered in the European Commission's annual progress reports on Turkey. The Government continue to encourage Turkey to make swift progress on fundamental human rights reforms and to implement the decisions of domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights in full. We are aware that the Turkish Government are actively considering how they can best support freedom of religion for the Alevis as well as the reform of compulsory religious education in schools more generally, but no final decision has yet been taken on either issue.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have given consideration to The Rights of Women Seeking Asylum: A Charter, produced by Asylum Aid and other non-governmental organisations; and whether they will respond to it.

Lord West of Spithead: Officials at the United Kingdom Border Agency are considering the publication, The Rights of Women Seeking Asylum: A Charter. We intend to respond to it and officials will arrange to meet with Asylum Aid to discuss it shortly.

Asylum Seekers: North Korea

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What help they have received from the Government of South Korea in identifying around 450 people claiming asylum in the United Kingdom as North Koreans; and whether, if an applicant's fingerprints have been taken for the EURODAC computer system but do not match with the South Korean national fingerprint system, they will inform that applicants legal representative.

Lord West of Spithead: In late 2007 there was an increase in the number of applications from North Korean asylum seekers. Intelligence indicated some of the alleged North Koreans had in fact gained South Korean citizenship through the South Korean New Settler scheme, and were concealing their South Korean status.
	UK officials have agreed in principle with the South Korean authorities to check the fingerprints of alleged North Korean asylum seekers against the South Korean citizenship database. This will be done on a bilateral basis between Governments, in confidence and in a secure format.
	Fingerprint matching results will be used in a fair and open manner and incorporated into the case by case decision-making process. In cases where no match is identified, this will be made available in the normal manner and seen as supporting evidence showing that the applicant is not in fact South Korean.

Cybercrime

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which elements of the critical national infrastructure are protected by an air gap; and which are connected to the internet.

Lord West of Spithead: It is not in our national security interests to provide the specific information requested on elements of our critical national infrastructure. In general terms, it is the responsibility of the businesses and organisations that comprise the UKs critical national infrastructure to identify and implement appropriate protective measures relating to information security, in proportion to the risks they face.
	To help them to achieve this, protective security advice about the steps they can take to protect themselves against instances such as electronic attack is provided to the critical national infrastructure through the Government's Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and by CESG, the UK National Technical Authority for Information Assurance.

Government: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What engagements the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had in Northern Ireland in May and June; and
	What were the public engagements of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland during April 2008.

Lord Rooker: The information requested by the noble Lord is held by the Northern Ireland Office. However, the disclosure of some of this information, including details of internal or interdepartmental meetings with Ministers or officials, would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs.
	During that time the Secretary of State has had various meetings in Northern Ireland with Ministers, local political representatives, key public figures and officials.

Government: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland plans to visit the United States; if so, when; and for what reason.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 29 January 2008, Official Report, col. WA106.

Home Office

Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their reaction to the Financial Times ratings of The Best and Worst in Whitehall of 12 May which rated the Home Office the lowest department on 14 out of 40; and what discussion and changes have taken place in Home Office senior management at official and ministerial level to improve its rating.

Lord West of Spithead: The Financial Times ratings referred to were based on the results of the first Capability Review of the Home Office, which was published in July 2006. Following that review the department produced and implemented a Reform Action Plan to tackle the issues highlighted. A second capability review was carried out in June 2008 which found that there had been significant improvement, rating the Home Office at 25 out of 40. It noted that the Home Office had improved on seven of the 10 capability indicators, four of them by two places. There are no longer any areas which are of serious concern or require urgent development. The external reviewers recognised the department's very substantial progress since 2006 and commented on the strong leadership team and clear strategic direction that have now been put in place.

Immigration: Vaccination

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements the UK Border Agency has to vaccinate infants with HIV-positive mothers for tuberculosis.

Lord West of Spithead: Migrants to the UK living in the community are generally expected to take responsibility for safeguarding their own health and that of their children. However, the UK Border Agency aims to ensure that all asylum seekers it supports, who are entitled to National Health Service treatment without charge while awaiting a final decision on their claims, are able to access appropriate medical care for themselves and their dependants.
	Children detained with their mothers in immigration removal centres have access to on-site primary healthcare services. The provision of vaccinations to such children is a matter of clinical judgement for the healthcare professionals concerned.

Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When bonuses were first paid to employees of the Northern Ireland Office; why they were created; and what is the percentage increase of awards in each year.

Lord Rooker: The Northern Ireland Office currently operates three types of bonus scheme:
	A non-consolidated bonus scheme for Senior Civil Service (SCS) staff;A non-consolidated bonus scheme for staff below the SCS; anda non-consolidated special bonus scheme.
	Non-consolidated bonuses were introduced as they are non-pensionable, result in no additional future pension liability, and reward staff for performance in a particular year rather than being consolidated into their pay for future years.
	In relation to SCS staff, the Government decided in 2002 that a non-consolidated bonus scheme should be phased in, on the basis of recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB). This scheme is an integral part of all Whitehall and Northern Ireland government departments pay arrangements for their SCS employees.
	Recommendations are made in successive annual SSRB reports, to which the Government respond. In 2002, the bonus pot was introduced at 2.3 per cent of the overall SCS paybill. It has increased in subsequent years and in 2008 is 8.6 per cent.
	In 2004 the NIO introduced a non-consolidated bonus scheme for staff below SCS, in line with broader government policy. The amount allocated was 0.54 per cent of overall paybill for staff below SCS and it has remained at this level.
	In 1989, a non-consolidated special bonus scheme was introduced for all staff with an allocation equalling 0.1 per cent of the overall paybill. The bonus pot increased in subsequent years. Since 1996 it has been 0.4 per cent of overall paybill. The scheme was introduced to reward individual contributions during the year which were considered to be particularly meritorious. Such schemes are common in government departments.

Northern Ireland Office: Business Cases

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether in 2007 the Northern Ireland Office funded organisations which have not submitted a business case for funding; and, if so, what were those organisations.

Lord Rooker: The Northern Ireland Office has responsibility for the sponsorship and funding of a range of different bodies.
	Appropriate mechanisms are in place for determining the levels of funding for these bodies in accordance with the principles of accountability and value for money, and consistent with HM Treasury accounting rules (managing public money).
	The other agreed processes that the Northern Ireland Office may use for the allocation of funding include applications, action plans, submission of estimates and management statements. Other processes may be considered if they fully meet the requirements of the department.
	Details of the bodies funded can be found in chapter 1 of the Northern Ireland Office departmental report for 2008, which is available at:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/northern_ireland_office_ departmental_report_2008.pdf.

Northern Ireland Office: Business Cases

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 July (WA 11718) concerning business cases submitted to the Northern Ireland Office, what are the other agreed processes that may be used for the allocation of funding.

Lord Rooker: The other agreed processes that the Northern Ireland Office may use for the allocation of funding include applications, action plans, submission of estimates and management statements. Other processes may be considered if they fully meet the requirements of the department.
	These procedures are in accordance with the principles of accountability and value for money, and consistent with HM Treasury accounting rules (managing public money).

Supreme Court

Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In view of the contribution the British legal system makes to the United Kingdom economy, what steps they have taken to ensure that when the new Supreme Court comes into existence it retains the same status worldwide as the present Law Lords enjoy.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The UK Supreme Court will continue the work of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords but have an identity of its own, separate from both Government and Parliament. Its new structure, refined procedures, prestigious location and improved working environment will reflect its position at the apex of the UK judicial system. These changes offer an opportunity to reiterate the importance of the court and its role to those both at home and abroad.

Weeds

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What statutory obligations apply to public authorities in respect of the control of noxious weeds, particularly ragwort, Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam.

Lord Rooker: The control of common ragwort (senecio jacobaea) and four other injurious weeds is covered by the Weeds Act 1959 which allows the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to take statutory action to control their spread. While it is not illegal to have the weeds growing on land, the occupier of land where they are growing may be served with an enforcement notice under the Act requiring them to take such action as may be necessary to prevent the weeds from spreading.
	There are no statutory obligations on either public authorities or individual landowners and occupiers to control Japanese knotweed or Himalayan balsam. However, Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and Defra is considering whether to add Himalayan balsam and other species to the schedule. Listing a plant on this Schedule 9 makes it an offence to plant it, or otherwise cause it to grow, in the wild. Both the police and local authorities have enforcement functions for the 1981 Act.
	Control of invasive species is primarily a matter for landowners and other parties affected by them. Local authorities have a discretionary power to require landowners to clean up land adversely affecting the amenity of the neighbourhood under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and this is potentially applicable to the control of Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam. Local authorities also have the power to undertake clean-up works under Section 215 and to recover costs from the landowner.